Nala's Brother
by Sandan1992
Summary: A stranded teenager becomes almost a brother to Nala and watches her grow up during Scar's reign. A story about friendship, adventure, and just plain old growing up. Enjoy and Comment! Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1: A new world

*****Author's Note: *****

Hey everyone, I've been reading these things for a while and I thought I'd share one of my ideas. This is my first fanfic about a teenager coming into the pridelands right in the beggining of the first movie and becoming friends with Nala. Hope you enjoy!

*****Chapter 1*****

************A New World************

Alex opened his eyes and looked around what was left of the small plane he had been flying in. Many windows were broken in and there were multiple dents in the walls. He began to remember the chaotic events of the thunderstorm the night before. It was too quiet. There were no screams of terror that had filled the coach only hours earlier. It was unsettling.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Alex called in vain. It was obvious that none of the three other passengers were around, or at least conscious. He fumbled with his seat belt and got to his feet, ignoring the many bruises and cuts. All his joints moved well and with little pain, despite the crash landing. A sharp sound to his rear made him instinctively turn and face the potential threat. A small brown and black bird had flown through the window and was staring at him from the headrest it was perched on. It chirped twice and flew out the window on the opposite side. As Alex watched the bird leave, his eyes rested on a pair of legs protruding from a row of seats several rows back and his body grew tense as he approached them. He looked down at the body with dread, and realized that his guide, Mark, was dead. The dried blood that had been flowing from the grey-haired head made Alex nauseous. He had been around dead things before, he'd gone hunting, gutted his own animals, and eaten them. But a dead man was something he hadn't seen before. He concluded from the head injury that Mark must not have been buckled into his seat, and had hit the ceiling when the plane smashed into the ground.

"Help! Is anybody here?" He called again, feeling panic start to set in. Alex maneuvered up the aisle and found his two friends sprawled against the sides of the fuselage with similar wounds. He remembered how they were scrambling back to their seats as the plane flew through the storm. Turbulence knocked them to the ground every time they stood, and when the lights went out it became impossible for them to find anything to hold onto. He remembered how he had tried to unbuckle in order to help them, but kept losing grip on the release lever every time the turbulence hit. In a last ditch effort to find help, Alex looked into the cockpit only to find the pilot skewered through the chest by an eight-inch branch. It was all too graphic, so Alex kicked open the door, stumbled away from the wreck, and puked into the weeds. After he regained control, he became aware of the African savannah he was now standing in. He had wanted to see the plains, but not like this. The camping trip he was heading for in Eastern Africa now seemed significantly less important.

He was the sole survivor of the plane crash, and he knew he should feel relieved for his remarkable lack of injuries, but all he felt was immense guilt and sadness. There must have been something he could have done, something that could have saved them. Time became nonexistent as he sat there, lost in despair and self pity. The situation seemed bleak. Not only was he alone, but he was in the middle of Africa, one of the most brutal and unforgiving environments in the world. Eventually Alex noticed the height of the sun and went to retrieve his stowed backpack from the cargo hold. The following hours were spent burying the dead and taking inventory of his gear. He began to count his blessings as he spread out his equipment. Alex was an outdoorsman and brought his own stuff. From his backpack he pulled his survival knife, cord, flint, and other essentials which he knew would make a huge difference in the Savannah. Normally these types of items would not be allowed anywhere near a plane, but the pilot was the owner and knew they were going camping. He disn't mind as long as it wasn't in his carry-on bag. The night soon came and Alex laid down next to his small campfire. He reluctantly allowed himself to fall asleep to the sounds of night predators and their protesting prey.

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The early sunrise made Alex cringe and roll over. He slowly got up, ran his fingers through his short brown hair, and made sure all his stuff was still there. It was, and he pulled the backpack onto his moderately broad shoulders. He figured that the nearest village couldn't be too far away, so he started walking. He rested periodically and caught some small rodents to stave off his hunger. The animal trails he used made the move easier, but the summer heat and humidity soon began to wear on his sixteen year-old body. As he walked he thought about his life back home. His parents would be worried out of their minds and his teachers, at least the ones that liked him, would be worried too. His karate master would care, and so would his teammates from football. But ultimately it didn't matter if anyone cared. They couldn't help him, he was alone. Eventually Alex got to the top of one of the only hills in the area and looked around. The view was stunning. A herd of antelope grazed in the distance and the sun beat down on their golden backs. The sapphire sky was dotted with exotic birds that called each other with their own unique calls. Suddenly Alex didn't feel so bad. His friends and family couldn't help him now, but maybe they already had. His dad taught him how to hunt and live off the land. His teachers challenged his intelligence and made him build on his existing inventiveness. His master taught him how to fight, granted against people, but he figured the same principles applied to animals as well. Maybe he'd be alright.

As he was walking he picked up a stick and started whittling. In not too much time he had removed the bark and removed its defects. Alex started spinning his new staff, practicing his karate techniques as he walked. Its weight and balance became familiar in his hands and soon he held it like he had used it all his life. He was just considering taking a rest, when a shriek split the calm morning. Alex froze and listened.

"HELP!" came the sound to his left. It sounded like a young girl and he sprinted toward the cry though the neck high grass. He burst into a clearing to find four hyenas advancing toward a little lion cub. The yellowish cub was backed up against a pile of boulders, and was franticly looking in vain for a route to escape by. Alex stopped in slight confusion at the scene, and was frozen with amazement when the cub cried out for help again.

"What buddy?" asked one of the hyenas. "You got somtin ta say?"

"Back Off!" demanded Alex. He had no idea what in hell was going on, but he wasn't about to let a bunch of dogs kill a cub. He dropped his bag and tightened his grip on the staff, while widening his stance.

"Okay tough guy, I'll play wit ya!" said another hyena as he turned towards the teenager.

The dog-like creature leapt towards Alex and was intercepted in mid-air by the end of the staff. The blow sent him sprawling to the side and caught the attention of the other three. Alex struck them with powerful strikes, each movement flowing into the next, just as he learned in karate. The first Hyena that he struck down got back up and charged him from behind. Alex turned and got his staff up to block, but was knocked to the ground by the animal's weight. He kept its jaws away from his throat with the staff and kicked the dog over his head. Unfortunately, the hyena didn't relax its grip on Alex's staff and pulled it out of his hands. Alex quickly got to his feet to meet the next attacker and punched the hyena with enough force to send it reeling back. The two hyenas that were not reeling in pain charged simultaneously with the hopes of catching Alex off guard. He was able to kick the first one away, but the second hyena bit into his left arm and held on tightly. He quickly drew his knife from his belt and thrust it into the creature's shoulder. It wasn't a mortal wound, but it was enough pain to make the Hyena release his arm. Wanting his longer range weapon Alex leapt towards his staff and rolled to avoid an attack from one of the beaten hyenas. He grabbed the staff and went on guard facing the four assailants, each of which looked at the stick with fear. They now knew the damage it could inflict, and wanted nothing more to do with it. They began to back up and eventually took off into the grass.

Alex turned to the young cub who was still huddling under the boulders paused to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked feeling a bit ridiculous for addressing a lion cub.

"Are… are you going to hurt me?" asked the little thing as she looked up at him.

"Of course not!" cried Alex. "What's your name? Do you live around here?" He slowly walked towards her and knelt down to meet her gaze.

"I'm Nala… I live that way." she responded as she pointed off to into the distance.

"Well Nala, my name is Alex. How about we go find your parents and get you home?"

"I think that's a good idea." The cub smiled at him and started walking the way she pointed, "That was pretty cool by the way! I can't wait to tell Simba."

Alex laughed to himself at how easily she shook of her fear and followed her down what seemed to be a narrow foot trail. He winced as he wrapped his bleeding forearm with some scrap cloth. As they walked, Nala told Alex all about the Pridelands, which he assumed to be her home. in exchange, he told her about his home, and fascinated her with the stories of cities and lights.

"But how do you get the stars into the glass ball?" she asked.

"It's really complicated" he struggled, "I don't really understand it myself, but it works and it keeps it light at night." His answer seemed to satisfy her because she quickly changed the subject.

"HEY! Let's play tag! You're it!" Without another word Nala jumped into the bushes and vanished.

Alex sighed reluctantly, but dropped his pack and ran in after her. He found under a small tree holding perfectly still. He was impressed by her discipline and waited a moment before running at her. Nala saw him burst from the grass and yelped in excitement. She tried to run but was too slow to avoid being tagged.

"Now you're it!" Alex laughed as he took off back towards his backpack. Nala ran close to his legs and made him trip as he bumped into her. They both went sprawling into the soft grass and started laughing.

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They continued their journey in the direction Nala had pointed, playing various games on the way. Their destination became obvious to Alex when he saw the massive stone extruding from the ground like a massive monument to the gods. After some time, Nala became tired and Alex carried her on his shoulders. He fell into step with her rhythmic breathing and soft purrs. Her soft fur felt pleasant on Alex's neck, and he smiled to himself at how quickly she had crashed from her previous state of excitement. After about an hour Nala awoke and got down once they started to get close to Priderock, She started walking faster and called for her parents to tell them of her adventures.

"MOM!...MOM!" she called like a young human child.

"I guess a kid's a kid no matter the species." muttered Alex to himself in amusement. An adult lioness trotted over towards them from the direction of the rock, and Alex became aware of multiple others lying in the shade of nearby trees.

"Nala! There you are! We were looking all over for yo…." Nala's apparent mother froze as she made contact with Alex. Her eyes narrowed and her ears folded tight to her head. Alex tightened his grip on his staff, growing more nervous as more lionesses noticed this unwanted human in their presence.

"Mom" started Nala, talking too fast to be easily understood, "Iwaswalkingonthetrailand …

"Woah Nala, slow down." demanded her mother, never breaking eye contact with Alex, who was beginning to question the wisdom of taking Nala home. Nala took a deep breath and started again.

"Okay. I was walking on the trail by the waterhole and a bunch of Hyenas started chasing me. They almost got me, but Alex came out and beat them up! They were gonnaattack me buthecame ! It was awesome!" She paused to catch her breath again and Alex took the opportunity to explain himself.

"I just wanted to uh…. make sure she got home safely. If you…um…. could point me towards the nearest human village, I'll head out."

"My name is Sarafina and thank you for helping my daughter" began her mother, her posture relaxing a bit seeing that he didn't mean any harm. "As far as villages go, I don't know of any very nearby. Perhaps you could talk to our queen, Sarabi. Here, I'll take you to her."

Alex followed Sarafina and Nala who was entertaining herself by running in between both her mother's and Alex's legs, periodically making them stumble over her. Alex was very aware of the many lionesses staring at him as he walked toward the base of the massive rock. He was stunned by its many caves that ringed the base and was amazed at the depth of some of them. Nala ran ahead towards a large lioness sunbathing on one of the larger rocks.

"Hey Mrs. Sarabi?" asked Nala politely, "Is Simba back from the thing with his dad yet?"

"Not yet my dear." She responded just as politely. "And where have you been all morning?"

"Fighting hyenas!" Sarabi chuckled, not having noticed Alex yet.

"Did you get a bunch of the mangy things?"

"No, they were trying to eat me, Alex fought them all! Nala gestured towards me and Sarabi's face became a bit more pale, despite the fur, as she realized that Nala was not playing pretend.

"Sarabi, this is Alex," Sarafina introduced. "He fought off the hyenas that were attacking Nala." Sarabi's expression softened as she leapt down from her rock.

"Well you have our thanks Alex."

"It was no problem," he said, gaining confidence with her praise. "I was looking for a nearby human settlement if you could direct me to one." Sarabi frowned and looked towards the horizon.

"I think you may be out of luck young man. There was a small tribe of Swahili towards the sunrise, but they left many years ago. The closest village is over a week away and it isn't accessible this time of year. The River has swollen and is too wild to cross. I'm sorry." Alex's hopes sunk with her words and he struggled to find the proper thanks.

"Uh…. Okay. Thank you…. I'll… I'll just go I guess."

"Mom? Why can't he stay here?" piped up Nala. "He did save my life!" Sarabi and Sarafina smiled at Nala and then at each other. Sarabi turned to me.

"I don't see why he couldn't. After all, he is our guest. However, it's not up to me, it's up to Mufasa. We'll ask him when he gets back."

"Thank you very much... I really aprec…"

"Can Alex come play with me? PLEEEEAAAASE?" Nala interrupted.

"You are very welcome Alex, and yes Nala, you can go play." Sarabi smiled with the patience only a mother could possess. Alex followed Nala towards a shady group of trees and started thinking. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about staying with a pride of lions. They all seemed nice enough, but it just seemed dangerous. What if they got hungry in the middle of the night and wanted a snack? Would he stay the honored guest that he was then? Or would he become an entrée? One or two hyenas was fine, but he doubted he could even injure a lion if it came down to a fight for survival.

They played for some time under the trees, Nala pouncing on Alex's hand and repeatedly beating him in tag. Nala's bottomless pool of energy reminded him of his late friends and sent a wave of grieft over him. Nala must have noticed because she remarked on his change in attitude.

"Why are so sad all of a sudden? Are you crying?"

"It's nothing," he lied while regaining control, "My eyes just aren't used to the air around here." Although the memories were close to the surface, Alex chose to avoid them for Nala's sake. He didn't want to upset her, this was his problem. They continued playing for almost an hour until Sarafina called.

"Nala! Bring Alex up here, Mufasa and Simba are back!

Alex climbed the rocks, getting more nervous as he gained elevation. Nala's parents were nice, but Mufasa was a male lion who might feel threatened by another male in the area, even if the other male wasn't of the same species. He remembered reading how lions were extremely territorial and trespassing into one's domain could easily lead to the violator's death. He hoped he was wrong. As he pulled his body over the last ledge he became aware of Sarabi's voice.

"…was looking for a nearby human village but I told him there wasn't any for quite a ways. Nala was hoping he could stay with us." Alex realized she must have just finished relaying the day's events to Mufasa. As he rose to his feet his eyes met those of a massive red-maned lion. The beast was massive and Alex had no doubt that it could easily decapitate him with a single swing. Mufasa stared at Alex for a moment, studying him, and Alex did likewise. After he got over the sheer size of the lion, he noticed the subtle softness of his deep brown eyes that seemed to peer into his soul.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Alex, welcome to our kingdom." began Mufasa with a deep booming voice that made Alex think of Darth Vader.

"Likewise your majesty." answered Alex, unsure of how to address the lion king. It must have been appropriate because Mufasa smiled gently and introduced his son who could'nt have been much older than Nala.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Alex, can I go find Nala now Dad?" Alex admired Simba's golden fur while Mufasa dismissed his heir.

"Let's take a walk." Mufasa stated simply to Alex after Simba ran off. They headed off into the savannah with the sun still high.

"I really don't mean to intrude; I just was looking for some sort of direction."

"Don't be apologetic, you saved my future daughter in-law and kicked out those poachers. If anyone is to be gracious it should be me." Mufasa's logic was hard to refute so Alex didn't press it further. "What I'm really curious about is how you got here. There aren't any villages nearby, so how did you get here?" The painful memories resurfaced as Alex contemplated the question. He took a deep breath and began.

"I was traveling with some friends…. and there was an accident a couple miles to the north. All three of them died. I should have helped them… but I wasn't able too." He sighed as tears began to well up in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. It's always difficult losing someone you care about." Mufasa gazed far off into the distance as if remembering some long ago event. "Always thinking of how you could have done something differently, something to change how things turned out. But in the end there is nothing you can do except pray for them. Accept that you did your best under the circumstances and move on. Look to the future." Alex was shocked by the lion's wisdom.

"I guess you guys deal with death a lot out here."

"More than we'd like too, but it's a part of our lives. We could not live if we didn't kill the antelope, nor could they live without killing the grass. We live in a careful balance of life and death; living to kill other creatures, and dying to keep them alive. If any one species in the kingdom becomes too large, or takes in too much, it compromises the well being of the entire Pridelands. We have to keep the balance, or let the kingdom die." Alex was fascinated by Mufasa's philosophy and waited for him to tell more about their way of life, but he didn't. Instead he steered the conversation back towards Alex. "What do you think about life and death Alex? You fought those hyenas without mercy and risked your life to save a little cub. How do you explain that?" Alex was silent for a while before he answered. He wasn't used to people asking him about his core beliefs on life and death.

"The way I see it, we all have a responsibility to help each other no matter the risk…. I mean, no one wants to die, but sometimes it's necessary for someone to sacrifice for the good of others. I'm not afraid to die, and I'm not afraid to stop someone who wants to hurt someone else…." Alex sighed, carefully piecing together his next words. "I'm okay with being the guy who's called on to do the more dangerous stuff because I can handle it better than most. Besides, I'd rather die for something meaningful than live knowing that I could have made a difference but didn't." I felt I had explained my beliefs well and Mufasa smiled.

"You would have made a very good lion, had your parents been a bit furrier." His comment made Alex laugh as they walked alongside a gently flowing river. The vast beauty of the Pridelands was stunning to the foreigner, and he asked many questions regarding the animals and the land. Mufasa was very patient with all of his questions and seemed to be enjoying himself as the sun started to set. The human and lion duo were on their way back to Priderock deep in conversation when Zazoo showed up.

"Sire! I've been looking all over for you!" exclaimed the bird with stressed impatience.

"What's the matter Zazoo? Is everyone alright?" Mufasa's casual attitude had been replaced with a new authoritative demeanor that Alex assumed made him a good leader.

"They're fine for the moment sire, but the elephants are waiting for your decision regarding their new trail! You need to get back to them immediately!" Mufasa sighed, obviously annoyed by Zazoo's urgency, and Alex laughed to himself at the hornbill's fretting.

"I'll deal with that tomorrow; right now I'm heading home."

"But sire!"

"Not now Zazu, I'm tired. Go fly back to Priderock and tell Sarabi to prepare a spot for Alex tonight." He turned to face the teenager and continued. "You can sleep in the main room with the pride tonight; tomorrow we'll find you an unoccupied cave for you to have a more permanent residence in." Zazoo flew away reluctantly and disappeared into the dimming light.

"Thank you Mufasa, but I can't stay long; I need to find a village or somewhere to contact my family."

"When the west river calms at the end of the season I'll show you to the village, but until then I insist that you stay with us." It was obvious that Mufasa had made up his mind about the matter, so Alex simply accepted his terms and thanked him.

Shortly thereafter, they arrived back at Priderock and found Sarabi and the cubs waiting for them. Nala jumped to her feet at the sight of Alex and pranced towards him. Simba followed a little behind her, more interested with his father than Alex.

"My mom said he can sleep next to us! This is gonna be soooo much fun!" Nala exclaimed, obviously ecstatic over having gained a new playmate.

"Go ahead and follow her, she knows where to go." smiled Mufasa. "And goodnight."

Alex responded "Thank you, I'll see you in the morning." and turned to follow Nala. She led him to the main cave in the massive spire of rock and showed him where she and Sarafina slept. It was surprisingly warm and Alex began to relax his tensions as he lay on the smooth stone. These lions weren't going to eat him. In fact, he might just gain some really close friends. "This might actually be kind of fun." He thought right before he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Transition and Tragedy

*****Author's Note: *****

Ok, here's the second chapter, please read and review! Btw, I've taken into consideration the constructive criticism I've been receiving and hoping to see a lot more! :)

*****Chapter 2*****

*****Transition and Tragedy*****

_Yesterday, a child came out to wander,_

_Caught a dragonfly inside a jar._

_Fearful, when the sky was full of thunder,_

_And tearful at the falling of a star._

_-Circle Game by Joni Mitchell_

Alex awoke to find the cave almost empty. Three older lionesses lay sleeping in the corner, enjoying their old-age privileges with their recently born grandchildren. Sunlight radiated into the cave from the entrance, giving the room a hue of gold, and he became aware of how late he must have slept. The young man promptly rose from his slab of stone serving as a bed, and went to bag for a fresh rag for his arm. He removed his old dressing from his arm slowly, being painfully aware of the damage the Hyena did to it. He tried very hard to remain silent for the sleeping lionesses, but the pain became a bit much.

"Aaaah!" Alex groaned quietly as the dried blood peeled from his wound. To his relief, the lionesses stirred but did not wake. He exited the cave the way he came in, arriving at the lip of the great rock. The risen sun illuminated the savannah and revealed the serenity of the land without human influence.

"Another stunning view…" Alex muttered to no one in particular. He hoped that the scene would not become too redundant if he stayed in Africa too long. There was nothing he found more annoying than something that was underappreciated.

"Isn't though?" A deep satirical voice behind him startled Alex and made him turn. A deep brown scrawny lion slithered from the shadow of a large boulder to stand near him.

"My brother made it clear when he spoke to me that you are an honored guest for the time being and I wanted to extend myself to welcome you to the Pridelands. My name is Scar by the way."

His name fit well, considering the large vertical scar overlapping the lion's left eye. Despite the politeness there was an eerie feeling that Alex got from talking to the marred creature. It seemed as though he was hiding something, but Alex couldn't fathom what.

"Thank you… I…. I really feel welcome here. Mufasa is a great king."

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssss….." came the faintly sarcastic reply, "There is nothing he can't do, and his son, oh his son. Simba will one day follow in his father's paw prints."

"Well it was good to meet you" Alex said, excusing himself from the strange conversation, perhaps a bit early. Alex felt uneasy around Scar, he said the socially correct response, but clearly didn't believe a word of it.

"Be careful out there" called Scar, the Pridelands aren't always as kind as they appear to the eye… Especially on a beautiful morning like this….."

Alex descended the pathways to the base of Pride Rock, drawing stares from many lions, curious of their new guest, as he passed them. He searched the faces until he identified the pale gold pelts of Sarabi and Sarafina gazing at the horizon, discussing the day's plan. He greeted them as he approached.

"Alex!" Sarabi acknowledged "we were just talking about you."

"All good things I hope." Alex smiled casually, but hoped he was right. It would not be a good thing if everyone was talking about him behind his back already.

"Of course" replied Sarafina, putting his mind at ease. "In fact, we were just talking about the cave Nala found for you. It's to the right of the main cave's entrance and is quite spacious."

Nala ran over from some undisclosed location and promptly inserted herself into the conversation. "It's really cool!" There's little holes in the walls that you can put stuff in, and a skylight in the back!" as she spoke, Nala spun her body in little excited circles, but never broke eye contact with Alex. "And in the back there's this little spring that fills up this little pool!"

Alex had to admit, it did sound pretty interesting. "Well that sounds grea…"

"MOM!" Nala exclaimed in the middle of Alex's statement. "Can I go show Alex the cave right now?

The three others smiled at her sheer excitement as Nala wove herself in between their legs, begging for permission with her purrs. Sarabi and Sarafina exchanged a glance of agreement before Sarafina replied.

"Alright, go ahead and show him."

"YYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Nala nearly did a black flip out of joy and led Alex away toward the cave that seemed to satisfy her wildest dreams.

The two mothers watched them leave. "They are going to get very close if he stays here a while." Sarafina mused with casual amusement.

Sarabi returned her gaze to the horizon and agreed. "He's a good kid for her to get close to."

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"Come on! It's over here!" Nala yelled back to Alex on the way to his cave. She was able to nimbly leap over the small obstacles long the way, but the larger human had to move at a slightly slower pace, being burdened by his backpack and staff.

"Hurry u-UMF" Nala was cut off as a golden furball tackled her and sent her sprawling. She rose to meet her attacker and engaged him with happiness. The two cubs became a uniform mass of tan and yellow as they tumbled on the ground, kicking up the thin layer of dust that had accumulated on the rarely used trail. "THUMP"

"No fair!" yelled Simba from underneath Nala's .

"What do you mean not fair?" declared Nala indignantly, "You sneak attacked me, you had the advantage!"

"Well you always do that thing with the flip and the pin and stuff!"Simba said vaguely as he stood up.

"It works doesn't it? Maybe if you tried harder and used some moves other than the ones you've been using since you were born you might be more of a challenge!"

"Whatever Nala." The male cub responded sulkily.

Alex finally reached the spot where the two kids were bickering and intervened. "Come on guys, play nice." He told them, moderately unsure of how to break up a fight between animals.

"HE STARTED IT!" exclaimed Nala simultaneously with Simba. They glared at each other for a minute before continuing on the trail after Alex.

Simba's curiosity of their destination eventually overpowered his resentment of Nala and he broke the silence. "So where exactly are we going? I hope it's somewhere cool!"

"I'm showing Alex the cave he's gonna live in for a while, and yea it is pretty awesome."

"So Alex" began Simba, "How did you get here again? Did you just fall out of the sky or something?"

"Something like that." Alex replied shortly, not really wanting to explain to the young cubs how he awoke to find his friends mauled to death by a freak accident. However, he didn't want to completely ignore the curious lion, so he steered the conversation to something else. "I'm from a place where we don't have stuff like this. In a way it's actually very refreshing to be away from people."

"My dad says that humans are just misguided." Said Simba.

"Your dad's right;" Alex agreed, "It's not that people are bad, they just tend to get sucked up into society and act impulsively to fit in. But I guess that isn't really a good excuse, is it?"

"Well you're not like that!" protested Nala.

"I'm not part of human society right now."

Simba had become intrigued by Alex's statement. "Why aren't we like that?" he asked.

"I think you are to a certain extent. The difference between this pride and human society is the size. There are a lot more humans with a lot more power, and the foolishness comes out that much more."

Simba appeared satisfied by Alex's explanation and began to fight with his tail.

"Here it is!" Nala declared as she ran around behind a boulder. Alex and Simba followed her around the massive object and into a seven foot opening in the rock. As his eyes adjusted to the light Alex realized that everything Nala had said was true. There were many small holes in the cave walls which could easily serve as storage and 30 feet back he could see a bright opening in the ceiling. He approached the skylight and noticed the underground stream that appeared in the back corner and disappeared in the opposite cave wall.

"Isn't this AWESOME!" Nala screamed, being instantly startled by her own echo.

"How come we never found this before?" asked Simba.

"Cause you never like to hang around Priderock, you always want to go somewhere crazy like that elephant graveyard the other day."

The smile vanished from Simba's face as he heard the accusation. "I said I was really sorry about that…" he said with regret that Alex had not heard before.

"And I told you not to worry about it!" responded Nala playfully.

Alex wasn't sure exactly what they were talking about, but he didn't press the issue. It seemed a bit personal and he didn't want to put them on the spot, so he preoccupied himself with unpacking. As he was scattering his belongings around the cave, he removed his knife and set it on a large slab of stone that he figured would make a good bed after being layered with grasses.

"What's that?" asked Nala, referring to his blade.

Alex removed the weapon and allowed her to look at it from a better angle. The black iodized blade was narrow and long, yet strong and durable. The bladed side was straight until its last inch where it sharply angled up to meet the other side in a point. "It's my knife, I got it a few years back and it's held up really well, considering how much I use it." He looked back at the two cubs and judged from their blank looks that they still didn't know what it was. "Okay", he started over, "I hold it here and use the metal end to cut things." He gripped the handle and demonstrated by making slashing movements through the air. "It's really sharp, kind of like your claws, and is really strong."

"Oh!" said Simba, finally understanding the concept, "You don't have claws or teeth or anything, so you made something that you can use instead."

"Exactly."

"That's really smart" observed Nala.

The two cubs gazed for several moments at the seven inch blade before becoming bored and proceeding to splash each other with the spring water.

"Ah, there you are Simba." came a slimy voice dripping with false relief that sent chills down Alex's back. "I have been looking all over for you."

"Hey Uncle Scar!" replied Simba, "Do you want to play with us?"

"Actually I was coming to see if you wanted to do something with me."

"Really, what?" Simba was clearly surprised, as was Alex; Scar did not seem like the type of individual to look for a playmate.

"Well, your father and I have a simply fantastic surprise for you over in the gorge if you would like to come see it."

"That sounds so cool! Whatisit whatisit whatisit wha!"

"ENOUGH!" boomed Scar, "I mean, um, you'll have to see it once we get there…"

"Okay! Let's go right now!" exclaimed Simba enthusiastically before turning back to face Nala and Alex. "If I can I'll bring some of whatever it is back for you guys!" Nala smiled and Alex nodded.

"Well let's get moving; we don't want to keep your father waiting." Scar said between his teeth.

Something was clearly off, but Alex did not have the slightest clue as to what it could be. Maybe the surprise was really cool, or maybe it was a surprise to Mufasa too. Or maybe Scar was just a weirdo. Yea, now that he thought about it, that was the most probable answer.

Nala stayed with Alex for some time, watching him construct a mattress out of long grass and large soft leaves. While he was working a young lioness brought him a large chunk of fresh meat, courtesy of Mufasa, so he took a break to build a fire pit and cook the meat. Nala was clearly frightened by the fire, but grew fonder of it once she realized that it could not escape the pit. After wrapping the leftover meat in a massive leaf and setting it in a cubby, Alex finished the bed and lay down next to Nala.

"This is sooooooooooo comfy!" she remarked as she arched her back in pleasure. "Can I spend the night in here tonight with you?"

Alex nodded, "Sure, if your mom is okay with it. We should ask Scar if he wants to come too, I'm sure he'd be so fun to share a bed with!" He laughed as he watched Nala look at him and involuntarily gag. Once she realized that it was meant as a joke, she joined in on the laugh.

The two spelunkers lay in the dark cave for some time, discussing their plans for the place. Nala wanted the stream to be enlarged into a pool and to make a slide that descends from the skylight. Alex wanted to hook up an electrical line and maybe get Cable TV and WiFi. The possibilities were endless to their endless imaginations and Alex struggled to remember the last time that he had so much fun just hanging out with someone.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Nala and Alex returned to the base of Priderock's main cave just as Sarafina woke from a short nap. The sun was not terribly hot yet, ut the progression from morning to afternoon was becoming increasingly noticeable. The shadows were reappearing from their midday hiding spots and all the animals seemed to be descending into lethargy.

"Hello you two," greeted Nala's mother to the both of them, then solely to Alex: "Did you settle into the cave well?"

"Yea, thanks for setting me up with that."

"Mom, Can I stay in the cave with Alex tonight? PLLEEEEEEEEEAAA AAAAASSSSEEEEEE ?"

"We'll see…" Sarafina replied hesitantly. "But right now it's time for your bath young lady!" Against Nala's wishes and despite her protests, she was scooped up in her mother's mouth and began her wash. Alex, not wanting to bother them, wandered off to the side and gathered some fruit from a nearby tree.

Without Nala, Alex felt somewhat lost in the lions' home. She was able to guide him to wherever she wanted to play next, and her exuberance kept him entertained. While he waited for his friend to finish her bath, Alex sat under a shady tree overlooking a large flat spot of terrain that seemed to serve as a common area. He watched small cubs play with their mothers and mature lionesses planning the evening's hunt. It seemed that everyone was doing something productful and playing a part to keep the pride going. Some located the herds, some did the actual hunting, some harvested the meat from the animal carcasses, and some simply managed the whole event. Seeing how the whole event was performed by all parts of the pride that could, Alex suddenly felt ashamed for not participating. He walked back toward Nala and Sarafina who were just finishing the bath and beginning to debate Nala's sleeping arrangements for the night.

"We'll discuss this later Nala." Sarafina concluded when she noticed Alex's return. "Go have fun with your friend."

"But we're BOOOOOOOORED! Can't you play with us?" The weary mother sighed and glared on her daughter with eyes that clearly indicated her answer. "Go play with your friend."

"Actually Sarafina," began Alex, I'm kind of feeling like the third wheel around here, do you have anything you can give me to do?" He hoped that he was not ruining Sarafina's alone time by searching for a job.

The older lioness was clearly confused. "I'm sorry dear, but what did you say you felt like?"

Alex immediately felt foolish, of course they wouldn't know what a wheel is, much less a third wheel. In any case, Sarafina clearly did not understand the expression. "A third wheel is….. Uh….. ummm….nevermind. What I'm trying to ask is if there is anything around here I can help with."

Sarafina's clouded expression cleared with her understanding of her guest's desires. "Well we're always looking for more help if people are willing to give it. Tonight we actually have a shortage of hunters if you have any experience chasing down zebra."

"Well, that's a little outside of the realm of human tactics, but I'd love to try." He offered.

"Mom, can you give us a stalking lesson? Please? It'd be really cool and Alex could learn how we hunt!" begged Nala.

"I don't see why not, after all, you will be in the hunt someday soon as well Nala." Sarafina gave in easily and began the lesson immediately. "Sink into the grass, become a part of it. Move as it does when the breeze passes through."

Alex and Nala followed her directions in the savannah. Alex had lowered himself down onto all four limbs, but did not allow his torso to touch the ground. Sarafina explained how the less of them that touches the ground, the less noise they will make as they crawl. The two new hunters spent the afternoon developing their new skills. They skulked silently and stealthily through the tall grass, learning how to muffle inevitable noises and to memorize the ground debris so they could keep from looking down too often. They used obstacles and different kinds of foliage to break up their form and learned when and how to strike once they were close enough to their prey.

When the hunting party began to gather on the far side of the field, Alex and Sarafina joined them and Nala went off to entertain herself by pouncing on some small animal. Once in the circle of lionesses, Sarafina told Sarabi quietly how Alex was joining them. Sarabi smiled at the information before calling attention to the huntresses.

"Attention everyone!" she commanded with authority, "You have all seen Alex around  
Priderock over the past couple of days, so you should know by now that he is our guest. This evening he's filling in for Sheevni, whose ankle is getting better I might add, and he's going to be one of the secondary stalkers. Amai, would you please brief everyone now on where we are going?"

"Of course your highness." answered a pale scruffy looking lioness with big eyes. "At midday today we located the antelope herd about 5 minutes towards sunset from the watering hole. We think they are heading to the grove of acacias after leaving the water hole. If we can cut them off here," Amai pointed to a crude homemade map in the dirt, "we can push the whole herd into the more dynamic terrain that surrounds the termite mounds and use the elevation differences to mount a surprise attack. Any questions?"

Though Alex understood what was being said, he found it fascinating at how much this hunt resembled a combat operation. The zebra were treated as the enemy, and that they must be killed or else they will kill the pride. As he thought about it, Alex realized that it was just that. It was kill or starve in Africa, if the antelope won the encounter, perhaps some of the weaker cubs or older pride members would starve. Survival depended on the careful balance of life and death. Mufasa was right, they didn't like having to deal with the large amount of death, as he could clearly see on the faces of the huntresses, but they did out of necessity.

The unit moved out in several minutes, making quick progress to the herd. Alex took in the exotic scenery of the Pridelands, large colorful birds flew in varying patterns across the sky in the deep orange light of the setting sun. Off in the far distance, a large thunderhead steadily made its way across the plains, letting loose a visible downpour upon the distant grassland. The group moved silently, not wanting to spook any unnoticed prey along the way, or to lose the focus they all possessed. They climbed a final hill and peeked over the top to see a herd of around twenty or so antelope. The primary stalkers slowly split off from the main group and got into position in the direction that the secondary stalkers would chase the herd towards. Everyone was frozen, any mistake from this point on could destroy the hunt.

A small, barely noticeable flick of the tail sent the secondary stalkers into action. Alex and the others slowly inched toward the edge of the herd. Alex understood that he was not expected to actually catch a zebra, being that his job was only to guide them toward the primary hunters, but he had still been encouraged to go for one if he could.

He held his body inches from the ground, following Sarafina's instructions to a tee. He moved with the grass and maintained his transparency to the herd.

_"SNAP!" _most of the zebra lifted their heads to investigate the noise, signaling the progression into the next stage of the hunt. The lionesses took off at breakneck speeds, each maintaining a distance of around fifteen feet from one another. Alex fell naturally behind due to his bipedal stature, but continued to sprint with all his speed.

The lioness ahead of him tackled a medium sized zebra and slowed him to a halt, but before the hunter could deliver a final killing strike, the zebra kicked her in the ribs, knocking her to the ground. Still moving slowly, the zebra moved toward a lone boulder in the field, behind which there were no other lions. Alex ran up behind the boulder with the zebra on the opposite side and drew his knife. He carefully predicted where behind the massive stone the animal would be, and set a course. Without losing his momentum, he ran up the side of the rock and leapt off the edge, directly over the unsuspecting zebra. He held his knife over his head as he descended onto the body. Alex's body struck the zebra's with enough force to knock it over and far more than enough for his knife to penetrate the beast's ribs. As they thrashed on the ground, Alex stabbed again and again, until the movement ceased and the breathing stopped. He sighed as he released his grip on the zebra's neck and closed its eyelids.

Alex had hunted before, but this was different. The simplicity that a gun offered had insulated him from the reality. He had killed animals before and watched them die on the ground before him, but never had he felt the life drain out of a healthy animal and felt, rather than saw the heart stop beating. This was his first real kill, and he was proud. And sad. The zebra had put up a good fight; it had already successfully escaped the clutches of another hunter and would have likely survived, had Alex not stolen its existence. It was a beautiful creature, with contrasting stripes now stained with dark thick liquid giving it a uniform coat. He was so entrapped by his kill, that Alex did not notice when several huntresses along with Sarafina arrived.

"Well congratulations, not many new hunters get a kill on their first day," commented his teacher admirably, "especially when they're secondary stalkers."

"Thanks, they probably didn't have as good of a teacher as me." Alex responded, trying to be modest. It was true after all, had he tried to catch a zebra without her instruction he would have been seen a mile away and would have gone hungry. "It was already wounded too." He added, giving credit to the fallen lioness who walked gingerly over too them. Alex noticed she was favoring her right side, but not very noticeably.

"Yea, the beast walloped me pretty good back there." she replied, then more to herself than anyone else. That'll teach me to pay more attention to the legs next time."

"Did anyone get any others?" Alex asked, curious of their success.

"We got three, but they're all kinda small." Sarafina answered. "The others actually already started dragging back their kills."

"Well I guess we should head home too…" Alex said, surprised at his use of the word "home". Now that he actually thought about it, it fit well. Priderock was filled with good "people" that he was happy to call his friends despite only knowing them for two days. Even though he needed to get back to his real home and family, he felt reluctant to do so. As he said to, he was home, and these lions were kind of his family. The epiphany made him smile, and it stayed stuck to his face the whole way back to Priderock.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

The group took turns carrying the slain zebra and watched the coming storm clouds with apprehension.

"I doubt it'll rain to hard." remarked Sarafina. "It's pretty rare to get a solid downpour this time of year."

Alex nodded, trusting her expertise. He had no concept of African weather patterns and wasn't about to make wild guesses. He was however, grateful that the clouds were arriving from the east and did not interfere with the sunset. Deep orange rays tinted the savannah with the bright hue and all was peaceful. The cool evening air was refreshing after the hot day and silenced the loud bugs that thrived in the humidity. The only audible sound was the rhythmic chirping of the waking crickets from their daylong nap. As the group approached the massive rock they were intercepted by a ball of tan fur.

"Did you get one? Is it big? What was it like? Can I go soon mom? Nala's questions only broadened Alex's foolish grin.

Sarafina was the first to respond. "You can go when you get older, as much as I know you hate to hear it, you just aren't big enough."

"I hate not being big!" she responded. "Why can't I grow faster?"

"You'll be big enough in no time." Alex interjected. He shifted the zebra on his back as Nala walked next to him.

Nala sighed deeply as she fell into place with the teenager. "Easy for you to say, you got a kill! What was it like?" She stared at him with her massive blue eyes searching for answers in his while Alex searched for words to describe the hunt.

"It was….. exhilarating." he finally decided. "My heart was pounding the whole time because there was so much going on."

His description only excited Nala more and she started to weave in between the trunks of the group's legs, dodging their steps. They all laughed when she tripped over a branch and disappeared into a pile of leaves. Nala recovered quickly, pretending nothing had happened. She moved back towards the group and smiled sheepishly to Alex who smiled back with the grin he had been wearing all night.

Darkness was falling as the hunting group arrived at the base of Priderock. Alex dispensed the carcass where the others had been placed and sat back to observe the lions. The returning party was dispersing into their own groups, discussing the hunt with those who did not go and Nala was nuzzling her mother's side as she nibbled on a small piece of meat. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex caught sight of Scar talking to Sarabi, who was staring at him in disbelief. They looked upset, and Alex became slightly concerned. It was probably nothing; some meat went bad or they lost some prey. Nothing to significant. But where was Simba? He should have returned with Scar, or so he thought. Maybe Mufasa had taken his son out on some lesson, who knows.

The tears streaming down Sarabi's face made Alex nervous as he realized that something big must have happened. Scar climbed to the top of the walkway leading to the main cave and addressed the crowd.

"I have to tell you all something that will be difficult," he began, silencing the lionesses. "I will be blunt; Mufasa and Simba were killed in the Gorge today by a stampede of wildebeest."

Alex felt as though he had been punched in the gut, and from the looks of the crowd, so did they. Some laid down with the expression of disbelief, others openly refused to accept Scar's statement. Some simply cried.

Nala huddled under her mother's body, tears streaming down her face as scar continued his speech. The sun had sunk under the horizon, reflecting the grief felt by the pride.

"It is a tragedy to lose Mufasa; but to lose Simba, who had barely begun to live…" Scar's words fell upon Alex's deaf ears as he struggled to comprehend the situation. How could Mufasa die? He was massive! And Simba, the cub was just too young. There was no reason that he should die. The cold familiar feeling of grief washed over his body and he knelt down to clear his head. Although he had only really talked with Mufasa once, the great lion's death struck his heart deeply. Alex slowly refocused on Scar's words.

"…And so, it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne. Yet from the ashes of this terrible tragedy, we will rise to greet the dawning of a new era…"

Something was wrong; Alex turned to hear a high pitched cackle from his left and tightened his hand around his knife. He watched shadowy figures slink into the shadows, drawing nearer as Scar reached the climax of his speech.

"… An era in which lions and hyenas come together in a great and glorious alliance!"

They were everywhere. Hyenas surrounded Priderock, filling its crevices and saturating the air with the putrid stench of decaying meat. Scar stood atop the peak of the great stone and let loose a roar that echoed across the Pridelands. The herds raised their heads uneasily as the roar was answered not by the traditional roar of the lionesses, but by the cackle of scores of hyenas.

Nala hunkered under her mother's paws, beginning to panic as the Hyenas drew nearer. She remembered clearly the events of the day before, and was not any more comfortable around the creatures than she had been after the attack. They started tearing at Alex's fresh carcass and nipping at feet of some of the lionesses. Nala became overwhelmed by the events and climbed away from her mother. She fled into the bushes and out of sight before anyone could stop her.

"Nala!" screamed Sarafina who was beginning to panic herself, "Come back!"

Alex ran after the young cub, mentally marking where she entered the brush and called to her mother. "I'll get her! Don't worry!" He ploughed through the bush, hindered by his size, but emerged on the other side quickly enough. He followed the small trail that she would have surely used ran as hard as he could so as not to lose her. He slowed as he took notice of quiet sobbing. A lone tree stood out on a small hill overlooking the plains, sheltering the grass and hiding its crying occupant. Alex slowed to a walk as he approached, not wanting to startle the timid cub again and begin another chase. He pushed the grass aside and sighed when he saw her curled into a tight ball.

"Hey now…" He began as he sat down next to her. "It's gonna be okay." The poor cub only leaned up against his body and continued to cry. Alex lay against her, feeling her small heartbeat up against his. He stared up at the stormy night sky and let his own tears flow silently down his face. They stayed there for many minutes until Nala had cried herself out.

"Why… why did he have to die?" whispered the distraught cub.

Alex shook his head. "I don't know, it was an accident." His answer was poor, but he didn't know what else to say.

"But he was my friend!" she sobbed. "And why are _those things_ here?"

Another question he didn't have the answer to. "I don't know." he repeated darkly. "I think Scar will be a different kind of King than Mufasa was. I think we need to be ready for more strange changes."

"But I like how things are now! Why do they have to change?" She began to cry bitterly again.

"Everything changes and there's nothing we can do to stop it. It's a part of life." Nala stopped crying at this statement and looked at Alex curiously. "The way I see it, you have two choices right now. You could roll over and give up, or you could adapt to the new routine and maybe even make something positive out of this whole tragedy."

Nala buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed again. "I don't want to forget!"

"Of course you don't, I don't either; and we shouldn't… But we have to keep going. Your mom needs you Nala, so does Sarabi." He hesitated a moment and breathed in the cool night air deeply. He hoped he wasn't overstepping his role as a guest, but he figured he was already past that anyways. "And I need you too."

Nala smiled up at him looked into his blue eyes with tear stains streaking her cheeks. "Thanks Alex…" She nuzzled into him and closed her eyes.

"Let's head back; your mom is probably worried sick." She nodded and allowed herself to be lifted into his arms. Alex looked at the rapidly advancing thunderhead which was no longer a distant cloud on the horizon. Thick, but sparsely distributed raindrops fell onto the grasslands and became more frequent as the lightning approached.

Alex kept Nala's head down into his shoulder as they passed the many Hyenas. He climbed the ramp and entered the cave, searching for Sarafina. He found her with Sarabi, comforting the older lioness. She expressed her thanks and relief for her daughter's retrieval and took the cub from his arms. Alex watched Sarafina take Nala over to their spot and put her to bed. He was heading out the door but was stopped by Nala's mother.

"Oh no you don't." she said quietly. "I'm not going to let you outside with those mangy things; you're staying in here with us for tonight."

Alex nodded, too exhausted to argue. He turned back towards the falling rain outside the cave and watched the lightning. A new era was certainly dawning, but he doubted that it would be as glorious as Scar imagined. He turned and followed Sarafina back to where Nala was sleeping, laid down next to them, and soon fell asleep to their harmonious breathing.

*****Author's note*****

Kinda long wasn't it? Well tell me what you think, I promise I won't bite. One thing I realized that I never said, that I probably should, is that I don't own the Lion King or anything else that anyone has claimed. It'd be cool if I did, but I don't. I do own a computer and some paper. That's about it. ANYHOW…. Thanks for reading and hope you keep doing so as I upload more chapters.


	3. Chapter 3: Acceptance

*****Chapter 3*****

*****Acceptance*****

_No words describe a mother's tears_

_No words can heal a broken heart_

_A dream is gone, but where there's hope._

_Somewhere something is calling for you_

_Two worlds, one family_

_Trust your heart_

_Let fate decide_

_To guide these lives we see._

-_Two worlds by Phil Collins_

The next several days passed in a dim fog that only vaguely resembled reality. All members of the pride struggled to come to terms with the loss of Mufasa and Simba while dealing with the introduction of the hyenas. The dog-like animals quickly instated themselves into the daily life of the Pridelands. They harassed the herds and ate more than their share of the kills. Scar decreed that since the hyenas were inferior hunters by nature, the Lionesses would have to supply them with food. This put a strain on the pride's hunting party and required more hunters to hunt more frequently. Although Scar clearly disliked Alex, he permitted him to stay if he helped maintain the constant flow of meat into Priderock.

Despite his first success with the zebra, Alex did not achieve any new trophies. He did help his teammates to get some kills, but the glory that he had felt after his first hunt was gone. The hunters no longer congratulated each other, as the kill would likely go to the hyenas. The pride usually sent out three hunts a day, and Alex took part in at least one but sometimes two. When he wasn't hunting, Alex spent most of his time in his cave, working on new tools. Nala usually joined him, but little was said. She just watched him work, deep in her own thoughts. Alex enjoyed her company; it was better than being alone, and he assumed she felt the same way. Besides, everywhere but Alex's cave was overrun with hyenas so there weren't many other places to go.

One day Nala looked at his formerly injured arm. "It healed." She observed.

"Everything does in time." He responded, trying to give her hope against the malaise she seemed to be in. However, her icy glare told Alex that she would not be quite as receptive today as she had been in the past.

"So I've been told." She countered bitterly before turning away and sitting in the cave's mouth.

Alex sighed, Nala was definitely depressed, and to be fair, so was he. He set down the dried grass he was weaving into string and walked over to where the cub was sitting. "Is there... anything you want to talk about Nala?" he asked awkwardly.

"No." she stated stubbornly, giving little effort to hide her true feelings.

Alex had no idea how to handle this. He could comfort people and make them okay about the little stuff, but how could he help Nala recover from the violent death of her best friend? He looked at the sky and noticed the sun sinking low.

"Well, I've gotta go on the next hunt." He said. "Are you going to stay here or go back to your mom?"

"I'll stay here." She muttered. Then after a minute: "Bye."

Alex exited his cave and began the walk to the meeting place for the hunting party with a newly made spear. He played with the lashings as he thought of how he was going to deal with Nala. She was young, but he doubted that the issue would disappear if he just ignored it. In fact, it might really damage her if it pestered her. Alex remembered a friend of his in middle school. The kid's mom died in a car crash and it changed him completely. The young boy went from a carefree trouble maker to a dark, depressed and withdrawn teenager. Alex regretted how they grew apart, but the kid's personality was changed. He didn't want Nala to go through the same thing but he had no idea how to stop it. People went to school for years to learn how to deal with this sort of thing. He was no therapist and he was well aware of it.

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The hunters moved slowly through the long tan grass towards the herd of antelope. They were closing the hundred yards at a steady pace, freezing at different intervals so as not to disturb the skittish animals. Alex crawled with his stomach gently grazing the dirt. He kept his figure low, not even peeking over the top of the grass for fear of attracting his prey's attention. Their location had been mentally marked, he didn't need to look.

Suddenly Alex realized that the antelope had stopped moving. He listened closely, but could not even hear their usual grazing noises. Slowly, he and a nearby lioness raised their heads above the grass to see the antelope staring nervously off to their side.

"Who did we place over there?" whispered Alex, still unsure of the newer huntresses that Scar recruited.

"We didn't", responded the other hunter in an even quieter voice than Alex's. "We've got the main group here with us, two over near that rock and one watching overview from the hill behind us. We don't have anyone where they're looking."

"Awww hell…." Alex sighed in an irritated tone.

"As if on cue, the grasses in the direction the herd was looking exploded as four hyenas jumped clumsily into action. The beasts tripped over each other's feet as they laughed wildly at the thrill of the chase. The herd turned easily and escaped to their rear before the hyenas could make any real progress towards them. Alex and the other hunters immediately sprang from their spots and pursued their prey, but since the lionesses were not expecting this event, they also were unable to move quickly enough to catch the frightened herd animals.

Alex slowed to a walk as the antelope trotted off to some other grazing spot and turned angrily to the hyenas who were panting, yet still cackling in between breaths.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" he demanded.

"Haha, what are you talking about man?" answered the largest of the bunch. "We just want ta have, heha, some fun!" His cronies chuckled at Alex's rage as a nearby lioness spoke up.

"You ruined the hunt! That was supposed to feed the entire pride, including you!"

"Well maybe you should get going on another herd, haha! It's not our fault that you guys suck at your job!" The dirty pack animals walked off back towards Priderock, still laughing their heads off. Alex took a step towards them, intending on beating some respect into them, but was cut off by Sarafina.

"No," she told him sternly. "You know Scar would choose them over us any day of the week. You'd be kicked out into prairie or worse if you attacked them."

Alex sighed angrily, his heart beating at three times its normal speed. He wanted to punch something, make something hurt. He clenched his fist around his spear's handle hard enough to turn his knuckles white. Sarafina was clearly right; Scar would never punish one of his loyal followers over a huntress, let alone a stranded human. No, there wasn't much else to do other than head home.

The group quietly started walking back to the massive stone. No one said anything, there wasn't much to say. Alex slowly recovered his mental stability with the walk. Normally he was a very calm and rational person, but the stress of the past few days mixed with the idiocy of the hyenas was putting him over the edge. He sighed, things were getting difficult.

As they approached Priderock, Alex caught sight of Nala heading off to bed, head hung low. He figured that he was going to have to deal with her sooner than later, and it would probably be better if he did it sooner.

"Sarafina," he called as he caught up to the lioness. "Would you mind if I took Nala somewhere for a while tomorrow morning before the hunt?" Sarafina looked towards the main cave where she knew Nala to be and then returned her weary gaze to Alex.

"No, go right ahead. She's been so out of it lately, it would be good for her to get up and do something. As long as you two stay out of trouble I'm fine with it."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow." The teenager walked off toward his cave, trying to figure out how he would talk to the stubborn cub.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex awoke early the next morning, grabbed his spear and knife, and headed off to get Nala. He found her just waking up and quietly exiting the main cave. Hyenas were everywhere, as was their stench. She grimaced as she jumped down the rocks to meet the human.

She cut right to the chase. "My mom said you wanted to take me somewhere?"

"Let's just walk and get away from the poachers." he answered. Although he really did want to avoid the sleeping hyenas, he was really just stalling. Even with a full night's worth of deliberation he still hadn't figured out what to say that would snap her out of whatever she was going through.

They walked for a good half-mile before the smell went away. The birds were waking up from their sleep and had begun their daily back and forth chatter. The sun was starting to rise and all the green foliage was made gold in its bright light. Alex looked down at the cub, only to see her staring at the ground; oblivious to the beauty that surrounded them.

"Nala, what's bothering you?" he started, realizing the foolishness of the question as he asked it. She glared at him. Of course she was upset about Simba, who wasn't? "I mean specifically," he corrected himself. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No."

He tried again, this time with a softer voice. "This isn't healthy; you need to come to terms with this whole thing."

"Don't tell me how to feel!" she responded sharply.

"I'm not trying to; I just can't stand to see you doing this to yourself. You can't change what happened, you need to move on." He though it was a reasonable suggestion, and was surprised when the cub became enraged.

"NO! Simba was MY friend and I'm not going to just _get over him_! Everyone's telling me to move on! I don't want to forget him… he was my friend!" By this time, tears were streaming down her face. She leaned against a large rock and bowed her head. "I'm not going to forget him…." she muttered meekly. Alex was caught off guard by her outburst, unsure of how to proceed.

"Moving on doesn't mean you have to forget him." he started. "It just means that you accept what happened and learn from it. All you're doing now is beating yourself up for something that wasn't your fault."

"Simba is dead. And it is my fault. I should have done something, I could have told him not to go… I…" She started sobbing and turned her head.

"I know what you're going through Nala, I know it's not easy an…." She cut him off before he could finish.

"How do you know what I'm going through? she demanded angrily. "Your best friend wasn't killed!"

Alex sighed and looked calmly into the cub's glaring eyes. She was surprising him with her argument. He wasn't expecting the anger that was now directed at him. Although now that he thought about it, she did kind of skip that stage in the grief process.

"My best friends _were_ killed, and there was nothing I could do about it." He stated bluntly.

"What?" Nala raised her head out of confusion. "When was this?"

"The day before I met you." Initially he had wanted to protect the young lion from the brutal tragedy that he had experienced, but now he realized that it would probably help in her understanding her own problem. "There was a terrible accident and I was the only survivor…. Everyone else died. They were my friends - my best friends…" He trailed off, not wanting to go any deeper. Nala sat quietly, embarrassed of her false accusation.

"I'm sorry", she muttered, lowering her eyes to the ground.

"I'm not asking you to be sorry Nala; I just want you to understand that you can be happy without forgetting about Simba. Besides, it's not like he's really gone; as long as you hold on to him, he'll always be around."

"But I want him here!" Fresh tears fell off her muzzle, staining the dry dirt around her paws.

"I know, we all do. But we can't let that get in the way of living healthy lives. Like I said, don't forget him, but don't let it suffocate you."

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked sullenly.

"If you won't do it for yourself, think of your mom. She can't stand to see you like this anymore than I can."

Nala looked up at the scenery that surrounded them. Small particles of dust caught the sunlight and created beams of light that illuminated the air. She took a deep breath and looked up at the now kneeling human. "Okay," she said. "I'll try."

"Thanks." Alex said as he stood up. They started walking back toward the towering structure they called home and Alex noticed a slight spring in Nala's step. Nothing too noticeable, but she was a bit more like her old self. He figured it was a start. "One last thing," he added, "Don't let the Hyenas get to you. They're stupid and mangy and don't know what they're talking about." Nala chuckled at his insults and Alex smiled. It was good to hear her laugh again.

"But if they say anything bad about Simba," she said seriously, "I'll beat them to the ground!"

Now it was Alex's turn to laugh. The mental image of the small cub wrestling a full grown hyena three times her size to the ground just was too funny. "Alright," he said through his smile. "Just don't hurt them too bad, we don't want Scar to have to intervene."

They came back into close proximity with Priderock and Alex veered off to catch up with the hunting party after he said goodbye to Nala. Alex was surprised at how well their talk went. Nala seemed to get everything he had said. Hopefully she would be back to normal, or as close as she could be, within a week or so. The hunting party moved out as he arrived, and he felt optimistic about this one. There was no way they weren't coming back empty handed today.


	4. Chapter 4: Needs Over Desires

*****Chapter 4*****

*****Needs over Desires*****

_For something good a price must be paid,  
whether or not the prize is worth it is up to you.  
An eye for an eye, a permanent trade,  
Pure love is to be given to give love that's true.  
Break one persons heart for another to renew._

_-Sacrifice, by Edward Day_

The days melded into weeks as the pride moved on from the rainy season into the dry season. The rivers shrunk to their lowest point since Alex had arrived. The massive thunderheads that had dotted the African sky gave way to an unmarred sapphire sky. The Hyenas were a continued nuisance to the hunters despite their attempts to get Scar to intervene. Alex was surprised at the durability of the herds. The hunters brought in at least one carcass a day to feed the pride, but the herds showed no sign of thinning. It seemed that there were an infinite number of animals, and Scar seemed to be banking on that. Most of the lionesses who were paying attention understood that this period of surplus food could not go on forever.

After their talk, Nala had really come around. She became more active in the Pride's daily life and she held her head high most of the time. In no time she had returned to her normal self, although there were periodic times of grief that were to be expected.

It was getting later in the afternoon and Alex was sitting in the shade provided under a medium sized acacia outside his cave. His skin had become far tanner than he was used to and his palms had gained a rough texture from the constant use. His cave was as furnished as he was going to make it; it had a bed, a fire pit for cooking, a bench for tool-making, and a storage area for the plants that he collected. The whole layout made him proud, it was quite an achievement.

"Ha! I found you!" Nala approached the tree that shaded the human. The small lioness had grown remarkably in just a few weeks and now Alex was at a loss to describe her. She was too large to be called a cub, but still far too young to be an adult.

"I didn't know you were looking." He stated flatly.

"My _mom_ said you went with the hunt, so I caught up with them, but they told me that some _new _girl was replacing you today and that you were with _Zazu_ talking about the hunts, but then _he _said you left before I showed up and that you went this way." She took a deep breath, replacing the massive amount of air she had expended. Alex smiled at how she just blurted everything out in one sentence.

"Yea, they figured that they should get some of the newer hunters some more experience working with the group." He shifted his weight so as to better see Nala. "Besides, I've been on almost every hunt for the past week since Denvi hurt her leg."

"I think she's faking" said Nala as she sat down in the shade.  
"She was definitely hurt at first, but yea, she's taking her sweet time recovering." Nala nodded and rested her head on her paws for a moment before immediately raising her eyes back to Alex.

"I want to hunt!" she reminded him.

"Trust me," he said, "enjoy the time you have now."

"I'm getting bigger! It won't be long now!" Alex smiled meekly at her enthusiasm. The exhilaration that he found on his first hunt had disappeared. Now each outing was just a reminder of how they were being forced to abuse the Pridelands. It was demoralizing and saddening, but he didn't want to ruin Nala's idealism so he just smiled and nodded.

"Soon." He said, then suddenly remembering her entrance. "Why were you looking for me in the first place?" Nala's head shot up, eyes wide.

"Oh yea! Scar wanted to talk you about the hyenas!" Alex sat up upon hearing this.

"What? Why me? And since when does he care what we think about the hyenas?"

"I don't know, but you _have _kind of been a spokesman for the hunters." She responded, rising to walk with Alex back toward the main cave.

"What?" Alex exclaimed in disbelief. "I talked to Scar once about how we needed more hunters. That hardly makes me a spokesman."

"Well I guess he sees it differently."

"I guess, bu- OOOF! Alex's foot had caught on a protruding root and he fell flat on his face. Nala laughed hysterically as he recovered himself. He glared at the root, angrier at himself than at the inanimate object. It was strange, he thought, that root had always been there, and he hadn't tripped until today. He smiled in amusement. Three weeks without practicing his kung fu stuff and he was already a clumsy fool. He looked over at Nala, who was still laughing her head off. Alex waited patiently for her to lose energy, which she did in several moments.

"HAhaha! That was sooooo funny!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." he replied sarcastically as he continued down the trail. She followed behind him, chuckling to herself every now and then. They entered the common area which was filled with hyenas as usual. Nala plastered her ears to the side of her head, instantly aggravated.

"I hate them," she muttered, "especially that group over there." she gestured to a small bunch of about four of the creatures. "They always make fun of me when I go by."

Alex sighed. Nala had done a fantastic job of ignoring the hyenas, but she was getting bigger and becoming more noticeable to the brutes. "I know it's tough, but try to ignore them. Nothing they say is important."

"I know, but they're just soooooo annoying! Could you beat them up for me?" Alex laughed at this.

"I don't think that's such a great idea, but tell you what; when I talk to scar, I'll bring it up and see if he can reel them back a bit."

"Fine." she grumbled, "But I still say they just need a good beating."

"Go find your mom; I'll talk to you after this thing with scar."

"Ok, bye." Alex watched the kid go, amazed at how much she had grown in such a short time. He turned towards the main cave and walked up the ramp.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

"Ah, Alex; It's so good to see you." Alex walked towards the slimy voice, bowing to the seated king. Scar had mounted himself on a large slab of rock, which put him slightly above the eye level of any lion that addressed him. At his right was Zira, a frightening lioness that Scar had made his queen. Surrounding them were the bones of at least ten different animals.

"I was told you wanted to speak with me, Scar?" Alex kept his voice neutral and his vocabulary polite; Scar was known to be easily aggravated.

"Yes, it seems that the lionesses are having some trouble… _acclimating_… to the hyena's presence." The king spoke with a bored tone, as if he really couldn't care less about the whole matter. "I've received several complaints that the lionesses, specifically the hunters, are often very rude to our new family."

Alex was dumbfounded. The aggressors were complaining about the victims, and the king was listening to them! "Sir, I think that the hyenas may have been the instigators with most of those incidents."

"That's no excuse!" replied Scar adamantly. "I will not allow the lionesses to treat our friends like this." The injustice of the whole situation was too much for Alex, but he held his tongue. Getting angry would not help the situation.

"Why are you telling this to me?" he asked.

"You are an unbiased source; you are not a hyena, or a lioness. The others will take your word as the truth." Alex almost laughed out loud.

"I'm a hunter; I'm always around the lionesses. I don't think I'm really that unbiased."

Scar sneered "You may think of yourself as one of them, but they do not think the same of you. You will never be a part of the Pride."

Scar's words fell on Alex like physical blows. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to be true. The king was probably right, even if he was a jerk about it. Alex was human, and try as he might, he would never be a lion.

"But don't let it get you down." continued Scar, "I still have plenty of uses for you."

"I'll tell them the message." Alex said quietly. He turned to leave, but remembered Nala's request. "Oh, one last thing Scar. The huntresses may be bothering the hyenas, but there are several Hyenas that are harassing the younger lionesses."

Zira smiled cruelly. "You mean Nala don't you? That cub probably deserved it."

Alex was angered at the queen's assumption, but was careful not to show it. "Actually yes, there's a group of our _friends_ that have been really upsetting her, and I doubt she's the only one that are being bothered by them."

"I'll mention it the next time I see them." Scar replied coldly, obviously bothered by Alex's sarcastic use of the word _friend._ "You are dismissed, have a good evening."

"And to you as well." Alex said coolly, the words tasted bitter in his mouth. He almost forgot to bow to the king and queen before he exited through the mouth of the cave.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

The sun temporarily blinded the young man as he walked into the sun. He blinked away the pain and surveyed the area. Few of the hyenas had moved since he last observed them. The lionesses that were not hunting were lying farther away from Priderock in a small grove of trees. He started off towards the others, moving quickly so as not to get caught up in the Hyenas' jabber. Alex scanned the faces in the shade and quickly located Nala and Sarafina who were deep in conversation. As he approached, he noticed that Nala seemed to have a concerned expression on her face. Sarafina looked up and stopped talking as Alex closed the distance between them.

"What did scar want?" asked Sarafina curiously.

Alex sighed. He did want to tell her what he said, but he knew he had to. "Scar said that the lionesses, specifically the huntresses, need to treat the hyenas better."

"What?" exclaimed both Nala and Sarafina simultaneously.

"I know, I tried to explain to him that they usually start it…. But I don't know. He didn't listen to me." Sarafina's expression darkened.

"He would choose them over us any day…" she said under her breath.

"He can't do this!" stated Nala. "We're the ones that do all the work! How can he say that?"

"He's the king." Replied Alex

"Well he's not a very good one."

"Careful Nala," reminded her mother. "Like it or not, he is the King. And he takes criticism _very _personally." Nala sighed an irritated sigh, but stayed quiet.

"Alex stood to leave. "I guess I'm going to head back to my place now, seeya later." Nala nodded and rested her head on her paws.

Sarafina looked at him, as if she wanted ask him something, but all she said was "Alright, we'll see you tonight."

Alex walked off toward his cave, thinking over the events of the afternoon. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Scar was right. He wasn't really part of the pride; in fact he was more like the Hyenas than the lionesses. He was only another mouth to feed, sure he hunted, but he rarely caught anything and there were other lionesses that were willing to take his place. No, he was not an important part of Priderock, and probably never would be. So what was he to do about this? He could take Scar up on his offer and become his mediator between the hyenas and the lionesses.

"That's not going to happen." He mumbled to himself. He wasn't going to be Scar's little helper any time soon.

"Alex?" called a voice from behind him.

He turned to face the owner of the voice and saw Sarafina walking up alongside him.

"Hey, what's up?" Alex asked.

Sarafina looked at him awkwardly, as if unsure how to word her next sentence. "I'm sure you know by now that the river has shrunk," she began. "If you wanted, you could cross now and head towards the human settlement."

Alex nodded and looked away. Of course, it was time for him to leave; this was the answer to his problem. He knew from the beginning that this would not be a permanent stay for him, but still. He had gotten to be really good friends with the Pride. He wanted to help them in their time of need, but he realized that the best way to help them was to leave. One less mouth to feed, one less human to get in the way of the hunt.

"I think you're right, it is time for me to go." He answered solemnly.

"You don't have to; I was just saying if you want to…"

Alex appreciated her politeness, but understood that she was asking him to leave. "No, it's time. I'll be ready to leave by morning."

"Alright... I already told Nala that you might be wanting to leave. I think she understands, but she'll probably come to see you tonight."

Alex nodded, turned away from the lioness and headed toward his cave. Sarafina watched him leave, an expression of regret on her face.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Darkness was falling and Alex was packing his backpack with the necessary items. He had his knife, water, and a lot of dried meat. He was deep in thought when Nala entered his cave. He didn't notice her until she was directly in front of him.

"Oh! I didn't hear you come in Nala."

"Yea, I guess." She said bitterly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking note of her bad mood.

"You're leaving us." she said simply.

He supposed that her bluntness was to be expected. "I have to Nala. I don't belong here." He hoped she would understand, but she clearly didn't.

"Why not?" she demanded. "You've been around forever; you can't just head out toward some village that might not even exist anymore!

"This isn't about me it's about all of you. You don't have enough for both me and yourselves. I take up too many resources and it isn't fair to you." He explained calmly.

"NO!" Nala yelled. It's not fair! I don't want you to go; you're part of the pride!"

This surprised Alex and made him to stop for a moment. He looked into Nala's now teary eyes and tried to soothe her. "I'm glad you think that Nala, but I'm _not_ part of the pride, and I never could be. I'm a human; I'm no more a part of this pride than the hyenas are." He pulled her into a hug and she returned it. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'll miss you… a lot."

"I'm gonna miss you too." She said into his shoulder.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex awoke later than usual the next morning. He wanted to avoid the morning hunting party; they would all want to say goodbye to be polite, but he understood that they didn't think of him the way he did of them. To them he was just a bad hunter, a burden on the team. The sun was already up, so he wasted no time gathering his belongings. He grabbed his spear, put his knife on his belt, and shouldered his backpack. He looked over his cave on last time before he headed out. He would miss it.

He walked through the common area, trying to attract as little attention as possible. Despite his efforts at invisibility, he was bid farewell by several lionesses whom he knew from the hunting party. Scar was perched on the peak of Priderock, watching his procession. Sarafina told him that Nala was around the area, she would find him before he left. Alex hoped so; he wanted to see the young lioness one last time, even if it would be awkward.

He started walking towards one of her favorite spots, when he heard some talking off in the distance. He approached the noises and saw Nala down in a ravine sided with boulders. She was arguing with the pack of Hyenas she had pointed out the day before.

"Just leave me alone!" she demanded in an annoyed tone.

"Oooh the girl wants us to leave her alone, I think we should listen." the apparent leader said mockingly. "I think we should listen guys!" His cronies cackled as Alex climbed down the boulders as quickly as he could, to where they were standing.

"She's just so much fun to bother! Just like that little brat she used to hang out with."

Nala's head snapped to the last speaker. "What did you say?" she asked dangerously.

"He said that that brat prince had it coming!" responded the other crony.

Alex was almost to them, when he saw Nala, still barely more than a cub, tackle the fully grown hyena. They went tumbling off to the side, just as he jumped off the last rock. He ran to the rolling combatants and struck the hyena as hard as he could before pulling Nala off. The young lioness had patches of upset fur that were quickly becoming stained with her own blood from the injuries underneath. Despite her injuries, she continued to growl, hiss, and kick against Alex's force.

"Oh," said the hyena angrily as he rose. "You want to fight huh?"

Alex turned sharply to the speaker. "Back off, it's over!"

"Oh no it's not; she attacked us, now it's our turn to attack her!" The other hyenas smiled cruelly as they approached.

"Nala, go get your mom." Alex said slowly. Nala had ceased her thrashing and hunkered down low to the ground, the rage in her eyes had been replaced with fear as she realized the gravity of the situation.

The apparent leader took a step forward. "If you're gonna stop us, you're gonna get hurt."

"Go Nala, now." Alex told the frightened kid. She obeyed and took off toward Priderock. The human shifted his footing, taking up his usual combat stance. It felt foreign. He looked down at his feet to see if there was something he was standing on, but there wasn't. He returned his focus to the animals, only to see a flying mass heading toward his head. His spear went up out of instinct, not quick enough to hurt the attacker, but enough to stop it from ripping out his throat. Alex was thrown to the ground by the hyena's sheer weight, which was a lot more than he originally had anticipated.

He kicked the beast off of him and tried to stand, only to be tackled by one of the cronies from the side. Jagged claws tore at his shoulder, releasing a stream of blood; but Alex's adrenaline was pumping too hard for him to really care. He rolled to the side, effectively escaping from underneath the hyena, but was stopped by another two of the creatures. The human gripped his spear, jabbed it at the two, forcing them to back up. He got to his feet, and prepared for another assault. It came without hesitation. One hyena came in low to the ground and another leapt high from the right. Alex stabbed the ground beast with the spear point, causing a cry of pain as it rolled to the side. The airborne creature narrowly missed his head and landed directly behind him. As soon as it touched down it immediately leapt at his back, sending Alex sprawling from the force. His spear flew from his grip and landed far out of reach.

Now he was surrounded, on the ground, and wounded. The hyenas all paused for a moment, enjoying the situation. The leader snarled and struck out with his jaws, catching Alex on his forearm. The other animals attacked together, scraping, clawing, and biting at the struggling teenager. Alex kicked, punched, and even head butted the attackers, but to no avail. He felt their teeth sink into his limbs, their claws puncture his side. Blood ran into his eyes, tinting his surroundings red. The pain dulled and Alex felt his arms and legs weakening.

A massive roar erupted from behind the violence and the Hyenas looked up from their victim as a large lioness leapt down the rocks towards them with unexpected speed. Sarafina clubbed one of the animals away with a powerful blow, and raked her claws across the face of another. The creatures scattered into the foliage, leaving the lioness alone with the battered human.

"Alex!" she cried, dropping to his level. "Are you alright!"

"I'm fine", said Alex tiredly, spitting blood as he tried to stand. His obvious lie became even more obvious as his arm collapsed under his weight and he hit the ground again.

"Stay here! I'll go get help!" she told him before sprinting back in the direction she came from.

Alex almost smiled. What else was he going to do other than stay there? He shifted his weight to his back, immediately regretting it. Pain shot through his entire body as his injuries made their existence known. He lay there for what seemed like forever, though he knew it was probably less than two minutes. His blood continued to flow out of his body, making him a bit dizzy and short of breath. It was frightening and he had to fight the panic that his body wanted to succumb to.

Sarafina soon arrived with Sarabi and several other lionesses. They lifted him onto their backs, careful not to cause too much pain. The return to Priderock passed in a blur to Alex. He was set down on a rock slab, and his wounds were cleaned by some unseen figure. Alex lay on the rock, exhausted and in pain. The lionesses that had been talking quietly around him had left, giving him much desired peace. He hoped Nala was okay.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex awoke alone to the empty cave. He had probably slept for hours, but he was still exhausted. His body ached. All his joints were as stiff as the stone he now lay on. He turned his head to survey his surroundings and received stiff protest from his muscles. He didn't recognize the cave, but heard voices from down a nearby tunnel. He assumed he must be near the main cave. He analyzed his injuries, finding deep gashes along his ribs and arms, torn flesh on his limbs, and many bruises and small cuts everywhere. Well, he figured, if he was trying to be less of a burden on the Pride, he was pretty much failing.

There was a small wooden bowl on a rock next to him. It was filled with water, and its presence made him suddenly aware of his crippling thirst. He slowly reached for it, ignoring the pain and willing his stubborn muscles to move. He closed his fingers around the sides of the bowl and lifted it to his mouth. Most of the water flowed into his throat, but a decent amount ran down the corners of his mouth. He set the bowl back where he had found it and did all he really could do. He stayed on the rock.

"Can I see him now?" came a muffled voice from around the corner.

"No Nala, he's still sleeping." Alex easily recognized the voice as Sarabi's. "You're just going to have to be patient."

"But he's okay isn't he?"

"He should be fine, now go run along." the former queen told her.

A disappointed sigh signaled Nala's departure from the tunnel and Alex breathed his own sigh of relief. As much as he wanted to see Nala, he didn't want her to see him. It was embarrassing; he was mauled by the stupid beasts that were too poorly coordinated to hunt for themselves. Only a month earlier he had faced off against hyenas and received only a minor arm wound from it. His skills had deteriorated and he knew it. Alex looked up as he heard footsteps approached. Sarabi entered the cave and approached his side.

"You're awake." She observed. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got chewed up by a crocodile and spit out." he answered, trying to say it with a light attitude.

"Well you definitely took a beating. Thank you."

Alex looked at her, unsure of what she meant. "Why are you thanking me?"

"The hyenas were looking for a fight; they would have done this to Nala if you hadn't been there." she said bluntly.

"I guess."

"You saved her, and we are all very thankful for that. Especially Sarafina."

Alex was surprised at her statement. "What? Sarafina saved me! I would be dead if she didn't show up!"

"And Nala would be dead if you hadn't intervened." The lioness countered. "Don't try to undermine what you did, you deserve the thanks." Even though she was no longer queen, Sarabi maintained a definite tone of authority.

Alex sighed and stared at the cave's ceiling, unsure of what to say.

"Nala has been dying to see you for the past two days." She said softly.

Alex's eyes opened wide at this comment. "What?" he asked. "How long was I asleep?"

"Two days." repeated Sarabi.

Alex shook his head in amazement. He had thought it had only been a half-day at the most.

"Do you think that you might be ready to have some visitors?" she asked.

Alex thought about it. He couldn't hide from Nala forever, and he really did want to see her. Besides, he needed to thank Sarafina as well. "Yea, I'm ready."

"I'll go get them." She said.

"Thanks." Alex watched Sarabi leave and immediately began dreading the upcoming reunion. He still had to leave, that was an adamant fact. God, he thought, why did everything have to get so convoluted? All he was trying to do was get out of their hair, and all he ended up doing was forcing them to take care of him.

"ALEX!" A small lioness ran into the cave and stopped at his side. Sarafina followed her daughter at a slower pace.

"I'm soooo sorry!" began Nala. "I didn't mean to start fighting with them, it just happened! I…"

"It's okay Nala," Alex interrupted, thrown off guard by her guilt. "I'm fine."

"YOU ARE NOT!" she yelled, making Alex cringe at the verbal assault. "Sorry." she said in a quieter voice. "But you're not!"

"Yes, I am. I'm a little banged up here and there; but really, I'm fine." He turned to Sarafina who was looking at the two with content. "Thank you for coming." He started. "I would have been killed if you hadn't gotten the hyenas away."

But all she said was "Thank you for saving my daughter."

He turned back to Nala and smiled grimly. "Well if you wanted me to hang around a little longer, you sure picked a good way to do it." The kid smiled, but was cut short by her mother.

"Nala, could you give us a minute please?" asked Sarafina.

"Okay…" she answered hesitantly before walking out of the cave.

As she exited, Sarabi reentered the cave and stood beside Sarafina. "Alex," Sarafina began, "about you leaving…"

"I know," Alex answered. "As soon as I can move around I'll be gone, I promise."

The lionesses glanced at each other for a moment before returning their gazes to Alex. "We think you should reconsider leaving, Alex." stated Sarabi.

"What?" he asked, unsure of what they meant.

"You are too important to the Pride; as a hunter, and as a member." Sarafina explained. "There are a lot of us who would really be at a loss without you. Nala especially."

Alex was dumbstruck. They _wanted_ him to stay? He thought they wanted him gone! Alex stared at them; this must be a joke or something.

"Of course, if you really want to leave, we won't stop you." continued Sarafina. "But we would prefer that you stay.

Alex regained control of his mouth before she could add anything more. "But I contribute nothing to the Pride! I'm a mediocre hunter at best."

"You put in more effort into our success than most of the other huntresses. A lot of the younger ones really look up to you. And besides, you're practically family. Like Sarafina said, a lot of us would really miss you."

Sarafina nodded. "You provide more to this pride than just another animal carcass every few weeks."

So they really _wanted_ him to stay. Alex felt his eyes beginning to tear up, but quickly caught himself. He had been wrong. _Scar_ was wrong; Alex _was_ a part of the pride. This _was_ his family. He nodded. "Okay, I'll stay.

The two lionesses smiled. "We'll let you tell Nala." said Sarafina. They thanked him and left. Nala entered the cave, a look of curiosity on her face.

"What were you talking about?" She asked.

"About me leaving." He said as solemnly as he could.

Her face dropped instantly to sadness as she walked slowly to his side. "We'll miss you." she said quietly.

"Well, don't get too depressed just yet. I've got some good news for you."

She looked up hopefully. "What?"

"We decided that now isn't a good time for me to leave." He explained through a smile. "Maybe in a few years or so."

A wide grin erupted across Nala's face and she seemed to lose control of her body. She walked in a tight circle, her tail flicking around sporadically.

Alex laughed at her reaction, despite the pain, and was surprised when she nuzzled his palm. He pulled her into as tight of a hug as he dared and listened to her purr.

"I'm not going anywhere." he said to himself as much as to her. He liked the sound of that sentence. _Not going anywhere_.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

**Author's Note:**

**Again, thanks for all the reviews and advice. I'm having a ton of fun writing this, so stay tuned for more chapters! Oh, and I don't own anything, not even the song/ poem quotes at the beginning. COMMENT PLEASE!**


	5. Chapter 5: Fixing What is Broken

*****Chapter 5*****

*****Fixing What is Broken*****

_Oh the power to be strong  
And the wisdom to be wise  
All these things will come to you in time.  
On this journey that's your making,  
There'll be answers that you seek  
And it's you who climb the mountain,  
It's you who reach the peak_

_In learning you will teach,  
And in teaching you will learn,  
You'll find your place beside the ones you love._

_-Son of Man by Phil Collins_

Alex's wounds were severe, but he doubted there would be any permanent damage. They were healing as expected, although slowly. Surprisingly, nothing had become infected and none of his muscles were damaged very badly. When he asked, he found out that the Shaman, Rafiki, had dressed the gashes and left the wooden bowl. Sarabi told him that the mandrill lived on the outskirts of the Pridelands in a large baoab tree. Alex made a note to thank him once he was better. After almost a week he was able to walk around, although he was too weak to venture far from his temporary cave. Nevertheless, he found it liberating.

Nala spent a lot of time with him. He wasn't leaving, and she didn't want to take his presence for granted. The hyenas that had attacked him had been "punished" by Scar's definition. They were assigned to clean the royal throne room and were only allowed half portions at meal times. Alex knew that Scar didn't care that he almost died and also understood that the hyenas were not _really _being punished. He didn't press the issue though, he was just happy to be staying with the Pride.

Despite Nala's frequent company, Alex still had a ridiculous amount of time to himself. The hunts had always taken up most of his day and now he was too injured to partake in the outings. Many afternoons were spent staring at the stone walls of his temporary cave or watching the pride members move about in the common area. The fight had manifested itself into Alex's memory, he thought about it constantly. Yes it was traumatic, yes it was embarrassing, yes it was painful; but most of all it was puzzling. How had he lost the fight? He may have been outnumbered, but he had weapons. _Sharp _weapons. The fight on his first day was completely one sided, and he doubted that the hyenas he lost to were really that much better than the ones he beat the first time. What was different? What had changed? The questions perplexed him for several days before he came to a conclusion. He had gotten lazy, plain and simple. Before he had come to the Pridelands, Alex was proficient in Kung Fu. He knew how to fight people and use a variety of weapons, especially the staff. Since he had arrived, he had not practiced his drills once, not even done simple kick/punch sets. No wonder his stance had felt awkward and foreign before he got mauled.

Furthermore, Alex felt weird about the whole kung fu thing in general. Kung fu was designed to be anti-human, not anti- animal. It was even criticized in the martial arts world as being too flashy and impractical. Alex didn't like the idea, but it seemed like he might have to adopt a new fighting style. What that was, he had no idea, but he needed to find it before he got into another fight. First priority: heal, and _then_ get back his old skills.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

A week later, Alex woke up early before the sun rose. Most of his wounds were sealed and only moderately painful. Now was as good a time as any to start, so and quietly walked outside, careful not to wake the lionesses. He passed Nala, who was sleeping soundly next to her mother. She was still growing at a remarkable rate, becoming more like a lioness every day. He exited the cave and started up a less used trail towards a higher level of Priderock. He walked at a brisk pace, trying to warm up his body. He arrived on wide plateau type structure overlooking the eastern side of the massive stone. The flat surface extended for about forty feet and seemed like an ideal spot to practice. He looked across the plains, the blood red sun had begun its daily eruption from the horizon and slowly inched itself higher into the lightening sky. He stood in the center of the level surface, feet together and arms at his side. The young man bowed and stepped out to a wider stance. He moved slowly and methodically through his form, performing various techniques on unseen attackers. He stretched his stiff limbs and re-familiarized his muscles with the movements that he once could execute as easily as breathing. The form ended and he pulled his feet together to bow.

Alex analyzed his injuries; nothing had reopened from the exercise and his joints felt looser, more flexible. It felt good. He bowed, and began the form again. He moved faster, kicked higher and punched stronger than the first time. By the end he was breathing a bit harder. A smile spread across his face. His techniques may have been neglected, but they were still there, just waiting to be practiced. He continued through the morning; reviewing all the techniques, forms, and drills he had ever done. When he ran out of stuff to practice, he exercised. Pushups, situps, sprints, pull-ups, anything he could think of. As he progressed, he realized that his body wasn't stiff from his wounds, but from lying around doing nothing all day. Alex decided he would do the most complicated kick he knew. It required him to spin and throw himself horizontally towards the target, and strike with his rear heel. He knew that it had no real application value, but it was a feat that took a lot of skill. Skill that he wanted back.

Alex took up his stance and took a deep breath. If he could perform this, he was well on his way to where he was before the crash. He took the first step, then the second, his rear foot left the ground as he twisted his torso to the side. For a moment, he was airborne. His muscles moving in complete synchronism as he spun through the air. Then came the sharp pain in his side. Alex cringed and curled his body involuntarily, throwing himself off balance. He tripped and went sprawling across the plateau while gripping his side. Once he had lost momentum he rolled onto his back and groaned. His shirt was already lightly stained red from the reopened wound on his rib. It was bleeding, but not significantly; it would clot on its own.

He lay there for several minutes, staring the cloudless sky. Okay, so maybe the stiffness he felt _was_ in part from his injuries, and maybe he _was _moving a little too fast for the first day back on the field. Alex sighed, rose to his feet, and headed back down the slopes of Priderock. He had done enough for one day.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

"Where have you been?" asked Nala crossly as Alex descended the hillside trail to the common area. "We've been looking all over for you."

"I was exercising." He responded concisely.

The young lioness glared at him. "Well would you at least tell us before you go next time?"

Alex laughed to himself and nodded. "You're just mad that I didn't take _you_."

Now it was Nala's turn to smile. "A little, but you really shouldn't be pushing yourself! You aren't completely better yet." She gestured to the blood on his shirt. "Is that from your exercise?"

"Yea..." Alex admitted. "But it's fine. Trust me." He walked past her down the slope, thinking he had ended the conversation. Nala clearly did not consider it over.

She caught up to him and cut him off. "Fine. But next time, you _are_ taking me wherever it is you exercise. I don't want to find you unconscious on the side of Priderock because you reopened a cut and bled out."

Alex laughed. "What are you, my mother?"

"You're still getting better! Do you want to be stuck on that rock again?"

Alex sighed, still smiling. "Alright, alright. Tomorrow morning I'll take you with me." Nala seemed to be satisfied as she fell into step alongside the human. The two of them proceeded back to the main cave and found Sarafina and Sarabi. Alex explained where he had been to the adults and they responded in the same way that Nala had. Nala repeated her promise to go with him until he was healed completely and they agreed on her terms.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

The rest of the day passed slowly. Alex hung around the main cave, having spent most of his energy that morning. He dressed his reopened cut with a handmade bandage left by Rafiki and took a short nap. The return of the hunting party was the only significantly interesting event that evening, so Alex went out to see how well they had fared.

Kova was one of the senior huntresses and had been directing this outing. As he approached, Alex identified her darker coat from the other lighter pelts that had already begun to disband. She nodded to Alex as he approached.

"How'd the hunt go?" he asked.

Kova shrugged. "It went fine I guess, not fantastic though." She looked at the carcasses lying on the side of the common area. The hyenas were already starting to consume the meat at a fantastic rate. "Two wildebeests and a zebra."

"That's better than usual." commented Alex.

Kova rolled her eyes. "It is, but it doesn't matter. We will get the same amount as usual and the hyenas will get more than they usually do. Why we provide for them I'll never know, they do absolutely nothing all day except for the occasional hunt that they ruin."

Alex knew exactly what she was saying. Hunts were very long, difficult and exhausting. When the hunters don't get to keep their kills it could get pretty irritating very fast. "Well what can you do?" he shrugged hopelessly.

"Nothing, and that's the worst part." Kova lowered her head and carried herself back to the main cave past Alex. After a few steps she turned a lighter expression on her face. "On a lighter note, we're all looking forward to you rejoining us when you're better."

Alex smiled and thanked her and turned to the savannah. It was a nice night and he decided to take a walk. There were two times in the day that Alex loved: sunrise, and twilight. He liked the sunrise for the obvious reasons that are well known by anyone who had witnessed the event. Twilight however, was different. Its beauty was subtle, and not necessarily visual. Alex walked through the long grass that brushed the tips of his fingers, breathing very lightly. Something about twilight stopped his breathing. Maybe it was the lack of animal noises, or maybe it was the abruptly cool air that became so abundant after the sun went below the horizon. Whatever it was, Alex loved it. It was a perfect conclusion to any day.

By the time he returned to Priderock, night had fully fallen and most of the lionesses, including Nala, had retired to their usual sleeping area. Alex found his way through the cave of unconscious bodies to his temporary cave and went to bed.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))**

The next morning Alex woke before the sun again, and carefully woke Nala before exiting the cave. Nala was clearly exhausted and unawake from her sleep. Alex smiled as she complained.

"Why are we up so early?" she asked. "The sun isn't even up yet!"

"It's good to get up early." Alex replied simply as he maintained a fast pace up the side Priderock. He broke into a run as he neared the plateau, his heart pumping from the uphill exertion. Nala kept up with him, and was slightly out of breath by the time they reached the level ground.

Nala glared at Alex. "Okay, you go do your _exercises_ or whatever, _I'm_ going back to sleep."

Alex laughed and gestured to a shady tree to the side of the area. As the young lioness got comfortable, he bowed towards the horizon and began the same workout he had done the day before. Alex practiced all his drills and reviewed all his techniques. The sun soon rose and Alex continued to practice. Within an hour he was nearly finished and Nala was starting to wake. She watched him with curiosity as he performed the various moves to the air.

"What exactly are you doing?" she finally asked.

Alex finished his routine and turned to answer her question. "It's called Kung Fu." he said. "Humans made up a bunch of different ways to fight each other, and this is one of them."

Nala looked at him blankly. "Why do you want to fight each other so much?"

"We don't _want_ to, it's natural. People fight just like lions and other animals do. Most martial arts actually stress the idea of _not_ fighting."

"Well it looks kind of silly." She said, lowering her head to her paws. "It's like dancing."

Alex wiped the sweat off his brow and sat down beside her. "It may look kind of ornate, and maybe it is, but it is _very_ effective against people." He laid down in the shade before adding, "And it worked pretty well on those hyenas that first day I found you."

"Well it didn't work so great the second time now did it?" He couldn't see her face, but Alex could tell from the sound of her voice that she was smiling.

"That's why I'm doing this! I don't want to get mauled again!" He stood again and walked out to the center of the plateau. Having finished his practice, Alex dropped and began a set of pushups. He had completed at least twenty when he felt a sudden weight on his shoulders. "Nala! Get off me!" he shouted through a grin. He tried to keep going with the added burden, but collapsed into the dust before he could perform another pushup.

"I thought you wanted to get better." She said sarcastically.

"This isn't helping!"

She cocked her head and glanced at the human. "I kind of prefer you from this angle, I don't have to look at your face! "

Alex laughed at her insult, and shifted his shoulders under her paws. He slipped out from under her grasp and pushed her onto her side. "Let's find out what you look like when you're shoved into the dirt!" She yelled in surprise as Alex jumped onto her. They twisted around each other for several moments, each trying to get leverage on the other.

Alex was surprised at how well Nala was doing. She weighed slightly less than Alex, probably around 175 pounds, but she knew how to use her weight. They were both panting when Alex pulled the lioness's legs out from under her and pinned her to the ground.

"HA!" Nala squirmed under his weight, but it was no use. He had her down and finished.

"Fine! You win." She conceded grudgingly. Alex sat back and they both stared at each other for a moment, still breathing hard. Suddenly the whole situation seemed hilarious and Alex burst out laughing. Nala joined in quickly and playfully pushed Alex down before returning to her spot under the tree.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex and Nala quickly turned their morning outings into a rigid routine. They would climb the slopes together, Alex would practice his Kung Fu, and they would wrestle before he started his harder exercises. As the weeks passed, Alex spent more time on more difficult exercises and the wrestling matches with Nala slowly evolved into sparring matches. The terrain that made up the backside of Priderock proved to be a natural obstacle course. The duo spent a decent amount of time each morning just running across the patchwork of boulders, trees, and grasses. Alex gradually modified his techniques so that there was less fancy-frilly stuff. He refined the moves to be balanced, simple, and effective. Over time he felt the effects of the workouts. He lost all his excess body fat and his muscles became toned. Alex felt fantastic and Nala seemed to like the workouts as well. His wounds healed completely within another week and he rejoined the evening hunts. The mornings however were sacred.

With his recovery, Alex returned to his cave. He changed the now dry grasses that made up his bed and easily returned it to the way it was before he left it. As he was carrying some of his belongings from the temporary cave back to his real cave, he came across the wooden bowl left by Rafiki. It reminded him that he still needed to thank the mandrill for the help. Tomorrow, he resolved, he would go and find him. Alex found Zazu who was able to give him detailed directions to the Baoab.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

After the following morning's routine, Alex departed for the great tree with Nala. The lioness didn't need to go, but she wanted an excuse to get out of Priderock. They walked and talked for over an hour, making sure to keep Priderock in their sights. Alex was pretty comfortable with the layout of the Pridelands from all the hunts he had partaken in, but he still was well aware how easy it was to get turned around in the vast savannah. Soon a massive tree appeared on the horizon. It stood alone in a field of short grass and dwarfed the usual Acias that were so common in the African wild. Alex deducted that this was Rafiki's Baoab and set a course for it.

"Have you ever met Rafiki?" He asked Nala.

"No, he's been around Priderock before, but I've never really met him."

"Do you know at all what he's like?"

Nala smiled. "My mom always sent me off to do something else when he was around. She said he would scare me…"

"Great" Alex remarked, now smiling as well. "I'll expect a monster."

"I don't think he was scary like that, just weird." Nala's expression fell as she came across another memory. "Rafiki… he was the one that crowned Simba as the prince when he was born."

Alex sighed and set a hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her.

Nala shook it off "No, its fine. Really." She looked up at Alex, the sadness in her eyes now gone. "I just still miss him sometimes."

"Yea, I do too."

The two Pridelanders approached the great tree and stood at its base. They looked at each other, unsure as to how to proceed.

"Should we just yell?" asked Nala.

Alex shrugged and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hello? Rafiki, are you up there?" he called.

After a moment an answer fell down to them. "SHHHHHH! Dis is Rafiki's quiet time!"

"What?" Alex and Nala responded simultaneously.

A deep sigh came from the high branches and a rustling followed. A figure dropped to the ground behind Alex, who whirled around out of surprise. The mandrill was about half Alex's height, but only because of his bent posture that was so common in primates.

"AHAA!" yelled Rafiki excitedly, poking Alex in the chest. "Yo dat man I treated a month ago! Yes yes, vedy good recovery it looks like." He grabbed Alex's arm and held it close to his face to analyze the scars that had only recently healed.

Alex didn't know what to make of this creature. He glanced at Nala, but she was equally stunned. "Uh, yea… I just wanted to thank you for the help and everything."

"Yes yes, it was no problem, Rafiki is glad to help de lions." He looked over at Nala. "AND YOU! You ah Sarafina's girl! How is yo mada?"

"Um… she's fine, thank you." replied Nala politely.

"You ah getting much bigger, yes you ah. Soon to be a huntah I dink?"

Nala's face lit up at the hint of a hunt. "Yea, I'm going out on either this full moon or the next."

"Wandaful! Just be careful not ta take too much. De herds ah hurting." Rafiki said solemnly.

"Why?" asked Nala curiously.

Alex looked down at the confused lioness. "We're overhunting," he told her. "The herds can't repopulate fast enough to keep up with our hunts."

"Yes yes." Concurred Rafiki. "De ah hurting."

Although his dialect and train of thought was incredibly difficult to follow, Alex found the mandrill fascinating. They spent almost an hour talking with the shaman before they decided it was time to head home.

"Ah, one last ting." Said Rafiki. "If you fight de hyenas again, do not play!"

"What?" asked Alex, unsure what he was trying to say.

"If dey ah going to attack, attack dem first! If dey want to fight, fight dem harder den dey want to fight you."

Alex found that to be an interesting philosophy. In the past he had always waited for them to be the aggressors and even when they had attacked he fought them hesitantly, almost afraid to hurt them because of the potential repercussions. "Alright, thanks for the advice."

**((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex and Nala headed towards the towering stone structure that they called home as the afternoon was beginning. By Alex's calculations they would be back by late afternoon, plenty of time before he needed to go on the evening hunt. The two of them walked and talked and joked, with little to be concerned about. Alex always appreciated moments like these: when nothing needed to be done and everyone was satisfied. It was an extremely relaxing feeling, but as much as he liked the feeling, it can never last forever.

A commotion from over a hill distracted the two from their conversation and they walked towards the noises to investigate. Alex passed over the crest of the hill and quickly saw the source of the disturbance. Six hyenas had cornered two young antelope against a rock formation that was jutting out of the savannah.

"Well we got ya!" declared one of the hyenas to the quivering antelope who appeared barely over a month old.

Alex turned to Nala. "Stay here!" he told her.

"What? No!" she replied to his surprise.

"Nala, you could get really hurt from them, I'm…"

She cut him off before he could finish "_You_ could get really hurt _again_!"

"I can handle it! Besides, your mom would kill me if you got hurt!"

"My mom would kill _me_ if you got hurt!"

"Nala…"

"Don't Nala me! I'm bigger than I was last time, I can handle myself!"

Alex sighed angrily at the lioness's stubbornness. The hyenas were advancing on the antelope. There wasn't any way to avoid her involvement. "Fine! Let's go."

The two of them descended the hillside quickly and Alex grabbed a sturdy stick about the size of his spear. He decided to try Rafiki's advice: _attack them first_. Instead of trying to talk them out of killing the antelope, he charged the closest hyena and struck him across the face with the staff. His victim barely had enough time to look at its attacker before it was sent sprawling across the grass. The other hyenas turned to face the new arrivals, clearly confused at the reason for this interruption.

Alex decided he should probably help their small brains understand. "Leave the antelope alone!" he demanded. Nala growled at his side, her fur was bristled. He did have to admit, she was quite intimidating.

"Hey!" protested one of the hyenas. "You're a hunter; you kill these things all the time!"

"No, I hunt the adults so you mangy beasts can eat! You don't kill baby animals just for the fun of it!"

The hyenas were clearly becoming irritated; all their focus was on the human and lioness.

Nala decided to speak up, her voice dangerous. "Leave right now, or we'll _make_ you."

Alex wished she hadn't used those words, there were six of the creatures and they clearly had the advantage. The hyenas knew this too, and they chuckled to each other as they walked closer to the duo.

Alex saw behind them that the antelope had managed to climb over the rock formation to safety. At least they were out of the picture. But then there was their predicament. If he waited any longer, the hyenas would surround them; something he wanted to avoid. So he struck first.

Alex jumped towards the hyena on his left, swinging his staff directly down on its head just as Nala leapt at the hyena on her right. Alex managed to knock his animal unconscious and he moved quickly to meet the next two creatures who were already in the air. Nala quickly overwhelmed her hyena and threw him to the side before raking her claws across the face of the next attacker. She ducked to avoid a third hyena's paw and tackled him to the ground when he missed.

Alex elbowed one of the airborne hyenas as he jabbed the other with his staff. Both fell to the ground, disoriented and Alex stepped back to regain his balance. He took the improvised staff and spun it around his body, creating a wall of flying wood between him and his attackers. He turned and saw that Nala had beaten two hyenas into bloody unconsciousness and was now battling her third. She sidestepped his aggressive lunge and launched herself into his side, knocking him to the ground. She jumped onto his torso and placed her weight on the beast's throat.

"Don't try anything." She warned him.

Alex turned back to the final two hyenas and spun his staff closer to them, forcing them to retreat back against the rock face. One of the creatures must have had enough, because he leapt at the human. Alex easily struck him to the side with enough force to keep him down, and set himself into a strong stance against the uninjured hyena.

"You guys done?" he asked.

"Yea yea, no problem man, we're done!" responded the hyena.

"Good. Get out of here." He demanded coldly as he stepped to the side. He turned to Nala and nodded. She nodded back and removed her paw from the hyena's throat. Both beasts ran past the duo and disappeared behind a pile of rocks. Some of the unconscious hyenas started to wake, so Alex and Nala left towards Priderock.

They walked in silence for a while, almost unsure if the events they had just partaken in had actually happened. Alex broke the silence.

"You did really good back there Nala, thanks."

She looked up at him and smiled "You too, I guess the morning practices have really paid off." A small bead of blood ran down her nose from a small cut on her forehead and Alex wiped it off with his shirt.

"Yea, I think they have." He replied, now grinning as well.

The human and lioness walked side by side back to Priderock. The feeling of relaxation was gone, now replaced with sheer pride. The two of them had taken on a pack three times their size and come out without any real injuries. It was something to be proud of.

*****Author's Note*****

**I don't have a ton to say this time. Just that I own nothing, and to keep the comments coming. Watch for updates!**


	6. Chapter 6: To Hunt

*****Chapter 6*****

*****To Hunt*****

_Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now  
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town  
And they tell him, "Take your time. It won't be long now.  
'Til you drag your feet to slow the circles down"_

_So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty  
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true  
There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty  
Before the last revolving year is through.  
-Circle Game by Joni Mitchell_

Alex and Nala continued their journey back to Priderock without any other disturbances. Once the initial shock of the fight had worn off, they discussed it in great detail. Alex was extremely surprised at Nala's prowess. He hadn't really noticed before how big she was. Like she had said before, it was almost time for her to go on her first hunt, which would make her an official adult. It almost made him sad to see her grow up, she still seemed like a cub to him.

The duo approached Priderock and entered the common area. Suddenly a massive roar erupted from the lip of Priderock. Both Alex and Nala looked up, startled at the noise, and saw Zira glaring down at them. Scar's queen descended the incline quickly, anger fueling her steps. She came to a stop directly in front of Alex, or more correctly, on top of Alex. She was so close to him that he was forced to take several steps back.

_"Who do you think you are, human?_ She hissed.

Alex was taken aback; he stared at her for a moment before responding. "What?"

"You think you can just beat up anyone you please? You think that you can decide how this Pride is run? You had better think again!"

Alex looked past her at a group of hyenas chuckling in the corner. They were bruised and bloody, though the creatures all looked the same to Alex, these ones were clearly the ones they had just fought. "Okay!" he said. "They were going to kill a couple of baby antelope! They were the ones that were breaking the rules!"

Zira sneered. "Well maybe they wouldn't have to hunt for themselves if the hunting party did their job!"

"What?" Alex and Nala exclaimed simultaneously. The teenager was getting really irritated. The hunting party provided more than enough for the pride despite the hyenas' greed. But before he could explain this, Zira cut him off.

"You will treat the hyenas as our family, or you will leave! Is that understood? And I should tell you, a lot can happen once you're outside the borders. Zira's claws had extended and she gouged deep grooves in the soil where she stood.

Alex was stunned. Not only had Zira threatened to exile him, but unless he was mistaken, she also was threatening to kill him once he was outside the border!

"Is that understood? She repeated dangerously. Her eyes begged Alex to attack, and he desperately wanted to. But he kept his cool.

"Yes. I understand." He said calmly.

"Good." The queen turned at climbed the ramp to the main cave as Alex stood mouth agape.

"My god," said Nala quietly. "She's crazy."

Alex laughed, shaking off the shock as he walked toward the hunting party's gathering point. "She sure is."

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Nala, clearly wanting to fight the queen in one way or another.

"For now, nothing." Alex replied bluntly as he shrugged. "I'm pretty sure she was serious about killing me, and I'd like to avoid that."

Nala was getting irritated. "You can't just roll over and take that! You were right!"

"Gotta chose your battles Nala. For now, there's no reason to fight."

Nala sighed, but didn't say anything more. She said goodbye to Alex as he joined the huntresses and wandered back towards the main cave.

Alex watched her go, hoping she understood. Once she disappeared from sight he turned to his teammates for the night. They all stared at him intently, as if they were expecting him to say something. "What?" he asked.

"Everyone's heard about yours and Nala's little _adventure_ this afternoon." explained Kova. "I think we'd all like to hear what _actually_ happened."

Alex sighed, not really wanting to talk about it again. But the lionesses all looked so hopeful that he felt too bad to turn them down. "Alright, but don't tell Zira that I've been telling the story, she'd think that I was bragging about it." He relayed the events of the fight to the huntresses as they walked through the savannah. They all listened intently as he told how he and Nala fought the Hyenas. It didn't take too long to explain and he didn't think it was that interesting of a story, but the lionesses were thrilled. They were all ecstatic that someone had finally put the beasts in their place. Although Alex didn't quite see it that way, he didn't spoil their mood by mentioning Zira's threat.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The party moved slowly through the grass to minimize noise. The wildebeest herd was over the hill and they were alert. Alex raised his head over the crest of the hill and observed the animals. The herd was shrinking and more of the animals were young. There were far fewer older animals that the pride preferred to take. Young animals would grow up, mate, and keep the herd growing. It was dangerous to the balance to kill too many young herd animals. Alex kept searching the herd for any sick or dying animals, but it seemed that they had already been taken on earlier hunts. He retreated back to where the other lionesses waited and told them what they needed to know. With his information, the group dispersed to their assigned spots and began to advance.

The hunt went as well as could have been expected. They only caught two wildebeest and both were young adults. Alex made one of the kills, but he almost wished that he hadn't. It wasn't right to kill the young of a herd. He had too, and he was aware of the need, but it was still wrong. The rest of the party must have felt similarly, because no one talked on the trek home. They reached Priderock and silently dispersed after relieving themselves of the carcasses. Alex found Nala with Sarafina near the main cave. They were discussing Nala's first hunt.

"Okay, fine" said Nala in an annoyed tone. "I'll wait one more moon. But that's it!"

Sarafina smiled at her daughter's impatience and responded. "I know you want to help dear, but you still need some more time to grow."

Nala sighed and rested her head on her paws. She glanced at Alex as he approached but didn't do anything to greet him. Sarafina turned and nodded as he sat down on a rock.

"How did the hunt go Alex?" she asked.

Alex shook his head. "We got two wildebeest, but they were too young. I don't like it."

Sarafina nodded, understanding what he meant. "These are difficult times. We have to do what we need to do to survive."

"Yea, and I'll bet the herds are thinking the same thing." Alex replied dryly. "I don't know how much more of this they can take."

Nala had been listening carefully and decided to interject. "I think it'll be fine. We just need to keep at it." She rolled onto her back and stretched to her full length, now over six feet. "When I join in we'll get some more!"

Alex knew that her arrogance was a joke and he smiled. But Nala's optimism was misplaced. If something didn't change soon… well, something had to change soon. "When are you planning on coming with us?" he asked the young lioness.

"Next full moon." She replied happily, sitting back up to face her friend.

Alex nodded. He was happy for her, but simultaneously almost afraid for her. Nala expected to partake in the glorious tradition that was really neither. He was afraid of what she would find and how she would react.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The days until Nala's first hunt passed at a reasonable pace. She continued to train with Alex, getting more involved with his drills as she approached her adult size. Eventually she was able to wrestle Alex to the ground and pin him, a feat that had seemed impossible only a few weeks earlier. Alex was fascinated with her development. It was as if a switch had been flipped, unleashing all of the lioness' potential. She was an adult, and her first hunt would finalize the transition.

The pridelands seemed to inversely mirror Nala's fantastic growth. As she developed, the lands withered. It was deep into what should have been the rainy season, but no rain had fallen in months. The grass was dry and noisy, the leaves were falling. The rivers which once threatened to flood the plains now trickled through their beds. Alex was worried. Not only was it a serious fire hazard, but food was becoming scarce for the first time since he had arrived.

The evening before the full moon, and Nala's first hunt, Alex was lying on his back looking up at the stars. The hill he rested on was raised above the savannah and located far enough away from Priderock to muffle the hyenas' cackling. He stared at the stars, locating familiar constellations that he had been taught as a young kid back home. He heard rustling in the foliage and turned to see Nala approaching. She laid down next to him, staring up at the sky.

"I'm going out tomorrow." She said with a detached sense of happiness.

Alex was silent for a while before he turned to face her. He stared into her sapphire eyes and spoke. "Nala," he began. "I've watched you grow up over the past year… and you have turned into a fantastic, beautiful lioness. I know you'll do well tomorrow, and I know that everyone is really proud of you. Especially me and your mother."

Nala turned back to the stars and smiled and smiled. Alex could tell that it meant a lot to her, and he was glad he had said it. _"Simba would be proud of you too." _He added quietly in her ear.

Nala kept her eyes locked to the heavens as she nodded, her smile turning slightly sad. She stayed quiet, her eyes scanning the elaborately adorned sky and sighed. "Sarabi told me once that when kings die… they go up into the stars and watch over us."

Alex nodded. "I believe that."

"Do you think Simba is up there too?" she asked.

"I think that we'll all be up there someday. Together."

"How do you know?" Nala looked at him worriedly. "How do you know that he's not just gone?"

Alex smiled. "I don't _know_ anything, it's all just faith. The only thing that I _know_ is that I don't know. And that's how it should be."

Nala sighed, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.

"Trust me Nala, one day we will all be together. Me, you, Simba, Mufasa, your mom, everyone."

Nala nodded, "I hope so." She said softly. "Alex?"

"Yea?"

"Can you promise me something?" she asked quietly.

Alex shrugged. "Sure. What?"

"Promise that you'll stay around."

The teenager rolled onto his side. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, but please. I don't want you to get hurt."

Realizing her fear, Alex nodded. "I promise that I will not leave. Nothing could make me do that; not drought, famine, hyenas, or even Zira." Nala smiled and curled up alongside the human. Alex pulled her into a tight hug and listened to her heartbeat. It was the same as when she was a cub.

"Thanks." She said in a small voice.

**((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The next morning came and Nala left with only her mother, as was customary. Alex watched her leave, praying for her success. While he waited, Alex went through the morning routing alone. It was much more boring without Nala, so he finished early and waited in the common area.

The two lionesses returned in the early afternoon and Alex went to greet them. As he approached, he could see that Nala had managed to catch an antelope. Though, the expression on her face was not the happiness he expected.

"Congratulations!" he said as he approached.

Nala looked up at him and attempted to smile, but she was clearly disappointed. "Yea, thanks."

"What's wrong? You got a great kill!"

Sarafina turned to Alex. "She's upset about the state of the pridelands."

This made more sense to Alex. "Oh…"

Nala sat down. "I just… I never really realized how bad it was until I had to get something from it." She shook her head. "Everything's dead."

"Not everything." Alex countered. "You managed to find food despite the conditions."

"Yea, I guess." Nala looked down at her prey. It was a scrawny specimen, and young. Alex knew that she probably had some reservations about killing it.

As they were talking, three young cubs ran down the slope towards them.

"Can we have some?" asked the first one desperately.

"PLLLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAASSSEEE?"

"We're sooooooo hungry!"

Nala looked at the three cubs sympathetically, but before she could respond their mother approached.

"No you three, this is Nala's kill. It's hers to keep." The cubs shrunk back from the carcass, shamed and embarrassed. The older lioness looked at Nala. "Congratulations by the way."

"Well thank you." she said politely, "But they can have some if they want."

"Oh no dear, it's yours."

Nala shook her head "Really, times are too tough for me to keep all this to myself."

The cubs' eyes lit up and looked to their mother, waiting for her approval. The lioness sighed. "Alright, but don't take too much you three!" she warned them.

After the cubs had finished, Nala shared the kill with the rest of the pride. It was something that no one had ever done before. The first kill was always eaten by the hunter that killed it, it was theirs alone. But Alex knew that Nala was right. Times _were_ too hard for one individual to keep a kill to themselves. He was proud of her for her decision, she was an adult.

*****Author's Note*****

**For the last day in school, we watched the Lion King because it was based on the story of Hamlet, so I've been revitalized with enthusiasm! On that same note; schools out so ****hopefully ****I can start updating more often than what I've been. Review and Stay tuned!**


	7. Chapter 7: Fight or Flight or Death

*****Chapter 7*****

*****Fight or Flight or Death*****

_Shadowland  
The leaves have fallen  
This shadowed land  
This was our home_

_The river's dry  
The ground has broken  
So I must go  
Now I must go_

_And where the journey may lead me  
Let your prayers be my guide  
I cannot stay here, my family  
But I'll remember my pride_

_-Shadowland, the Lion King_

Alex stood atop the peak of Priderock with Nala, Sarafina, Sarabi, and several other lionesses. Although it was close to midnight, they were bathed in deep orange light. The pridelands were burning, and little could be done to stop it. The dry foliage had finally caught fire, probably from the heat lightning, and the once lush grasslands had been transformed into a sea of flame and smoldering ash. The pride had retreated to the depths of the cave to seek protection from the cool stone and allow the firestorm to run its course.

The approaching fire filled the air with smoke and made it difficult to breathe. Alex felt the heat from the fire despite his distance. He imagined this was what hell was like. Throughout the night, cries were heard from across the burning savannah. Many animals found themselves being outrun, surrounded, and eventually engulfed by the ravenous flame and smoke. It was very difficult to listen to, and some lionesses cried openly. No one slept.

By morning, the fire had devoured everything it could and was waning. To their disapproval, all members of the hunting party went out by Scar's direct order. They expanded in all directions, looking for anything that could be eaten. Alex walked with Nala and the two took comfort in the other's presence. They moved slowly, testing the ground for any un-extinguished embers, for the ground was still hot. They found the remains of many animals as they walked, none of which contained any meat or nutritional value. There were a lot of skeletons in the pridelands, far too many to dispose of. The savannah had become a graveyard of charred bones.

The fire affected everything. It burned the foliage, killed the animals, and worst of all, tainted the water with ash. Though the devastation seemed complete, a decent amount of herds survived. They were not healthy, had no food or water, and were still being overhunted, but they were there nonetheless. For now.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Nala successfully integrated into the hunting party and soon was a pivotal part of the effort. Alex noticed a slight change in Nala's personality as time went on. It was really an alteration of the entire pride, but it was most noticeable in Nala. It began with the giving of her first kill. Food was precious, and all effort was spent on getting it. Full grown lionesses chased mice and had to beat the hyenas away to keep it for themselves. Cubs ate grass to stave off the hunger pangs and even Alex went on searches for edible plants. Nala was much more serious all the time. She took an active role in the hunting parties and soon became a leader of sorts. Her dedication to the Pride was admirable by all and she brought in as many kills as the older and more experienced members. Sarafina was very proud of her daughter and all her achievements, but the times did not allow for any celebrations.

They were returning home to Priderock one day, Nala and Alex were carrying the single zebra they had caught. The animal was at least twice her size, but Nala carried her burden without complaint. The walks home usually went in silence, each lioness deep in their own thoughts, but today Nala was boiling over with her own feelings.

"When will this end?" she asked Alex.

He shook his head. "I don't know, but some day it will..."

"It's scar's fault." Nala stated simply. Other lionesses looked up at her cautiously. "I don't care if he finds out," she responded to their glances. "It's the truth."

Alex nodded. Although Scar _was_ the king, he was not an effective ruler. He had not even been seen in over a week.

Nala continued. "I mean, _he_ let the hyenas in, _he_ makes us overhunt, and _he_ won't do _anything_ to fix _anything_!"

"He definitely isn't a Mufasa." agreed Kova.

"But he is the king." countered Sarafina. "And if he catches any of you talking like this, he'll beat you till you can't stand."

Alex knew that she spoke from experience. Whenever any of the senior lionesses tried to talk to Scar, it usually ended in them getting struck. Even Alex had been on the receiving end. He had refused to be the king's "assistant" as scar had put it, and had been punished with a club across the face. Scar was a ruler by force, plain and simple.

Alex decided to speak. "Besides, we don't have anyone to replace him. There's nothing we can do except hope that rain comes soon." He looked down at Nala who had lowered her eyes to the ground. He could tell by the way that her eyes scanned the dirt that she was deep in thought.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The next few days passed painfully; there was no relief from the constant hunger that plagued everyone in Priderock. The hyenas became increasingly irritated from the lack of food. They started picking fights with the lionesses and roaming the lands in search of corpses with meat still on the bones.

Alex was descending the slopes of Priderock one day when he overheard Nala and Sarafina.

"Mom, this is something I need to do."

Sarafina was clearly upset and Alex ducked behind a boulder. "I know Nala. But promise me that you will be safe"

"I will mom. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. With help."

So she was leaving. Alex wasn't really surprised; her actions were finally matching her thoughts.

Nala continued, "Mom, could you tell Alex for me? I know he'd want to come too, but it's too risky for him."

Alex almost laughed. Of course he wanted to go, and no, he was not going to stay behind while Nala roamed Africa by herself.

Sarafina answered her daughter. "I think you need to tell him yourself. You two are too close to do that."

Nala sighed reluctantly, but accepted. Alex shrunk away to his cave to pack his things.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Some time later, Nala entered Alex's cave to find it in complete disarray.

"Alex?" she called.

"Right here." He answered from a shadowy corner. He was strapping up his filled backpack and tightening the lashings on his spear.

"Um…" she began awkwardly. "Alex… I'm leaving."

"Yep." he said plainly.

Nala was confused. "You know?"

"I overheard your conversation with your mom." He looked up at her sheepishly, a little embarrassed at the deceptive technique he employed.

"Well I meant what I said." Nala continued, regaining her composure. "I'm going alone."

"And I meant what I said when I promised you that I would never leave your side."

"Alex, it's too dangerous. We could get lost, or hurt, or…."

The teenager cut her off. "That is exactly why I'm going with you. There is no way in hell that I'm gonna let you do this on your own."

"No, you can't come with me!"

"It's not a debate Nala! You're practically my sister, and that's not something I'm going to let you do alone!"

She softened at his statement and walked over to him. "I just don't want to risk you." she said as she nuzzled his side.

"You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Fine." She conceded. "But we need to leave soon."

Alex smiled. "Of course. I'm packed, let's go say goodbye to everyone."

Nala smiled back at him. She wanted him to come the whole time, but needed _him_ to want to go.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Most of the Pride had already heard by word of mouth that Nala was leaving, so they had all grouped in the common area to bid her farewell. No one was especially surprised that Alex was leaving as well, it would have been weird if he hadn't.

"Be careful." Sarabi told them. "Come home safe."

"Just hang on", Alex responded to her "We'll be back with help."

Everyone had something to say, and it took a while for everyone to say their piece. Once they were done, Alex turned to Nala.

"Well, which way do you want to go?" he asked.

Sarafina spoke up. "I would head west. There is a small desert, but after that it's jungle and more savannah. I would think that there might be lions there."

Sarabi nodded in agreement. "But don't limit your search to just prides," she told them solemnly. "If things get much worse, we might have to leave the Pridelands. So keep your eyes open for any new lands." The two nodded and started to turn. "One more thing," added the former queen. "If you don't find anything… don't come back. Save yourselves."

Alex nodded gravely. There was no option of failure here.

He and Nala looked at each other. "Ready?" she asked him.

"Yea. Let's go." Alex turned back to the Pride. "Thank you everyone… for everything. We'll be back."

The Duo turned and walked towards the west. They passed the lip of Priderock where Alex saw Scar sitting, surrounded by Zira and his hyenas. Although Scar was talking to his minions, his eyes never left the human and lioness. Alex was sure that the king knew what was happening, he'd be a fool not to.

Alex and Nala walked at a brisk pace, they wanted to be out of the Pridelands before nightfall. Despite the seriousness of their mission, they joked and played with each other. Nala laughed for the first time in weeks, and it made Alex happy.

"So what exactly are we going to say to the king, assuming we _do_ find another pride?" Alex asked, hoping Nala had thought this through more than he had.

"Well, we could ask him if he wanted to come and be our king, or maybe he has a son or someone who could come instead." She looked up at him. "We _need_ someone to replace Scar, everyone will starve if we don't."

Alex nodded in agreement. "It's hard to think how it's all come to this."

As he spoke, Alex looked around at the rock formations that they were walking through to leave the Pridelands. He knew from the hunts that on the other side of the massive rocks there was the desert. They moved through the passes in the rocks, making steady progress to the other side.

A twig snapped behind Alex and he pivoted sharply bringing his spear up to guard. A dark shadow quickly shrunk behind a boulder and disappeared. Nala looked as well, and then continued on uneasily.

"Let's get out of here." she said. "Something weird is going on…"

Alex caught up to her and they continued though the pass. Eventually the pass opened to a level area overlooking the desert to the west and the Pridelands to the east. A gently sloping trail led down to the desert and to the supposed pride on the other side. The friends paused together and looked back. Priderock jutted from the earth's crust, a gray landmark of stone in a blackened world of ash. The sun was setting over the desert and the blood-red rays tinged Alex and Nala with color. In the east however, clouds were rolling in. Rain was highly unlikely, but wind and tempest appeared sure. The disturbing clouds filled exactly the eastern half the sky, the rest was bathed in the light of the great celestial body. Alex took a deep breath. He was ready to start this journey. He looked down at his partner. She was ready too.

A loud cackle behind them instantly destroyed the ambitious atmosphere. The two turned and saw over a dozen hyenas staring at them with hungry eyes. Alex dropped his pack and dropped into his low stance with his spear on guard. Nala's fur bristled as she growled aggressively. "What are you doing here?" asked Alex, though he had a pretty good guess as to why.

A sinister voice to his right made him turn again. "We are here to preserve the king and his kingdom." Zira was sitting on a high boulder about forty feet away. "We can't let you two cretins ruin Scar's glorious reign by bringing in some _outsider_!"

"Let us leave Zira." Nala said dangerously. "We don't want to fight you."

The queen snarled. "_Please_! It won't be a fight! We will _slaughter_ you both, and then… well, let's just say that we won't need the hunting party to work quite so hard for a few days."

Alex was disgusted, but not surprised. It fit the hyenas' character perfectly to eat whatever they could. Even lions and humans. Alex turned back to the main body of hyenas, only to see that another dozen had arrived. He felt his shoulders sag as he realized the reality of the situation. They were outnumbered at more than twelve to one, with no escape. He looked at Nala who was still growling and hissing at the beasts. There was no way that he could escape, but maybe Nala could. She was faster than him and could probably outrun the hyenas.

"Nala." He said quietly.

"What?"

Alex took a deep breath before continuing. "You need to go."

Her head snapped to look at him. "What?" she asked again.

Alex knelt beside her and set his spear on the ground. "There is no way that I can outrun them, but you can. You need to get as far away from here as possible while I keep them busy."

Nala shook her head vigorously. "NO! I'm not just going to leave you here to die!"

"If you stay, we will both die." He told her as calmly as he could. The hyenas had begun to advance. They moved cautiously, wary of Alex's weapons.

"NO!" cried Nala again, tears now streaming down her face. "You can't…"

"This isn't about me Nala! Think about everyone else! They'll all die if you don't get help. They're counting on you!" He looked into the tear filled eyes and saw the cub again. She was just as scared as she was the first day that he met her. "I'm sorry I have to break my promise Nala. Be careful out there and stay strong for me. Okay?"

The lioness was crying openly now. "I don't want you to do this!"

"We all have to make sacrifices, and this is mine to make. It was always mine to make." The teenager looked into the lioness's deep blue frightened eyes and pulled her close. "Just don't forget me, okay?

"I…I won't. I couldn't" Nala said through sobs as she buried her head into Alex's shoulder. Alex hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go, but he knew he had to.

"Go." he told her, pushing her away. "I'll see you again someday."

Nala smiled sadly and turned to the sunset.

Alex watched her disappear down the path to the desert and he closed his eyes. He closed his hand around his spear and stood to face the hyena horde. He took a deep breath and prepared for his inevitable death. He was calm. Focused. Determined. The snarls of the countless animals grew quiet as he tuned them out. Everything was silent. A slight breeze that foreshadowed wind ruffled his clothing and refreshed his mind. He was ready to meet his fate.

Alex saw a roar erupt from Zira's throat, though no sound came out. He saw the hyenas snarl and leap at him, though he felt no fear. He pivoted his body and met the first barrage of hyenas with his spear. The point ripped through one and injured another. He struck another unconscious with the blunt end. He stepped and spun to avoid another beast, spinning the spear as he went. The tip gashed two animals in their faces and impaled a third as he struck out aggressively.

Alex was a flurry of strikes. Each hit he landed was followed by another and another until the target was down. If a hyena did manage to evade his blows and get close, a sharp knife prevented any further progress. Beast after beast lunged in at him, and beast after beast was struck down. Soon he was surrounded, and almost ten hyenas lay dead at his feet. Alex was performing to the peak of his abilities, and was paying the price. He was tired. His chest heaved as he gasped for air to fill his lungs. The hyenas saw this and attacked again in another wave. Alex continued to fight, but he was slowing. He saw hyena to his rear out of the corner of his eye, but was unable to turn fast enough to meet it. The animal's weight knocked him to the ground and Alex rolled to throw the attacker off him. Time slowed as Alex fought from the ground. He grappled with the hyenas and thrust his knife through their hides as he rolled over the falling bodies. Blood ran down his arms from deep gouges in his shoulders. He kicked and thrashed violently against the attackers' brutal assault, all the while aware of his surroundings in an almost third-person way. He saw Zira laugh evily and walk away. He saw the clouds in the sky overwhelm the blood-red sunset and push the sun below the horizon. He saw in the distance, a lone figure race across the desert. Nala. She would live, she would find help, and everything would turn out alright. This last thought comforted Alex, and he closed his eyes against the cruel wounds that were appearing all over his body. The pain of ripping flesh dulled as his mind relaxed. The cackles of hungry hyenas grew silent, and all was dark.

*****Author's Note*****

**Please Review**


	8. Chapter 8: Dead Kings and Crazy Monkeys

*****Chapter 8*****

*****Dead Kings and Crazy Monkeys*****

_Sail on Silver Girl,  
Sail on by.  
Your time has come to shine  
All your dreams are on their way  
See how they shine!  
If you need a friend,  
I'm sailing right behind.  
Like a bridge over troubled water  
I will ease your mind_

_-Bridge over Troubled water by Simon and Garfunkel_

Alex stood atop Priderock. The sun was high in the sky and the human bathed in its bright light. Mufasa stood to his side, staring out across the golden savannah.

"How are you Alex?" asked the massive lion.

"I'm doing alright, can't complain." responded the human casually.

Mufasa smiled "The lands are beautiful are they not?"

"I haven't seen it look this good in a while."

"What do you think about what you did?" he asked.

Alex shrugged. "It was necessary. I was glad to do it."

"You saved my family. I thank you for that."

"You and you're family saved me." Alex responded. The lion and human sat in silence for a while, enjoying the peace. "So how does this work?" asked Alex.

Mufasa gave him a funny look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this whole dead thing. Is this it? Do we just hang out all day or what?"

Mufasa shrugged. "I dunno… Ask them, they might know." Mufasa gestured at a helicopter that pulled up to the side of the great rock. "Well, we'll talk later, I'll see you around."

"What?" Alex was thoroughly confused. "What's going on?" he yelled, though his words were droned out by the deafening rotors that spun in a blur.

Alex looked at the helicopter and saw that the pilot was Zira. In the back seat was his mother.

"I've got some waffles for you if you want them!" called his mother.

The evil lioness took the plate of food and threw them at the human. Alex stared in complete bewilderment as one of the waffles collided with his chest and knocked him off the edge of Priderock. He fell the massive distance down from the peak and closed his eyes before he hit the ground.

Sun filtered through dry leaves and caught the suspended dust like glitter. The light shone through Alex's eyelids and forced them open. He winced at the brightness and shifted his weight, though his body protested.

"Stay down." A raspy voice told him.

Alex looked around, bewildered. "Am I dead?"

A sharp laugh made him flinch. "Naw boy, you just got a little ruffed up is all.

Alex took in his surroundings, extremely confused. He was in the higher branches of a large tree, surrounded with various dried plants and concoctions. A mandrill stood over him, eyeing his face. The creature seemed to be quite amused by his puzzlement. "Rafiki?" he asked.

"Ya! Sho is!"

"I thought I was dead!" Alex exclaimed, remembering the bizarre dream he had. The talk with Mufasa had been quite convincing.

"Ya shore would be if I hadn't been dere!" Rafiki stood and turned his back to Alex. "Dose hyenas were not likin you dat much."

Alex sat up, surprised at his ability to move. "How did you get me out of there?"

Rafiki smiled, "You took care of most of dem, I did de rest. De hyenas know dat de don't mess wit Rafiki!"

Alex was shocked that Rafiki had managed to fight off the remaining beasts; the mandrill appeared too small and old to do any real damage.

"It helped dat dey thought you were dead. Dere was lot's of blood" Rafiki continued while he moved around his belongings.

Alex struggled to remember the details of the brutal night. "Did they chase after Nala?"

"Aaaahhh… no." came the thoughtful reply. "Dey assumed she would die in de desert. Dey don't know dat it isn't vedy big."

"What about the pride, do they know that Scar did this?"

Rafiki shook his head. "Dey know nuting about any of it."

Alex laid back down on the tree. It didn't make any sense to return to Priderock. Even if he did manage to reach the lionesses without getting killed, there was nothing that they could do. What he needed to do was to catch up with Nala. She certainly thought him to be dead, and she needed help. He studied his body for the injuries that he clearly remembered suffering. He was surprised to find that most had already sealed and that he was able to move with relative ease. The one spot that really hurt was his upper arm. The deep gash had been bandaged and the arm had been immobilized by Rafiki's sling. Then he sat back up and looked down to the ground. The grass lay almost twenty feet below the lowest branch. "Okay," he started. "So you got me out of the fight and dressed my wounds… again. But how did you get me up here on your own?"

Rafiki laughed, but didn't turn around from his work. "Rafiki has his ways! Hahahaa."

Alex shook his head in disbelief. This monkey was borderline insane. He slowly rose to his feet, instantly feeling the many bruises and minor cuts on his body. It was bizarre; he must have passed out from the loss of blood alone because although the other wounds were painful, they were not at all life threatening. Alex shrugged, he wasn't going to question the circumstances of his survival; it was good to be alive.

The afternoon passed painfully slow and just painfully in general. Alex spent most of his tome resting. Rafiki was thrilled at something and Alex couldn't guess as to what it was. The mandrill moved quickly through his tree, organizing and reorganizing the items that hung around on branches. As he moved, he hummed an incessant tune, occasionally voicing the words.

"_Asante sana Squash banana,  
Wiwi nugu Mi mi apana!"_

Alex shoved leaves into his ears to drown out the crazed lyrics. But as hard as he tried to muffle the song, it persisted. Eventually Alex lost his patience. "WOULD YOU STOP THAT?" he yelled at the mandrill.

Rafiki turned quickly and stared at the human with angry eyes. "NO!" He declared simply before resuming the song just as cheerfully as he had before.

Alex groaned and drove his fingers deeper into his ears. Death almost seemed appealing compared to this. "What are you so happy about anyways? We're still going to starve eventually without help!"

Rafiki bounded over to him and stared into Alex's eyes. "Nala is heading in de perfect direction, she will find de help dat she is looking for!"

"How could you possibly know that?" Alex asked.

"I TOLD YOU ALREADY! Rafiki has his ways." The mandrill laughed and grabbed a large turtle shell. "De SHELL told me!" he yelled as he leapt to the tree's trunk which contained many paintings on it. They were mostly images of lions and Rafiki worked diligently on more as he sang.

Alex sighed. Maybe Nala was going the right way, and maybe she wasn't. It seemed that Rafiki had definitely gone crazy. He thought about Nala again. She thought he was dead. Alex needed to get to her.

"I'm going to leave tomorrow." He told Rafiki bluntly.

"YAHUH!" the mandrill exclaimed. "I'll be leaving right aftah you!"

Alex shrugged. "Whatever." He muttered under his breath. The crazy monkey probably wouldn't notice if he jumped out of the tree right then and there.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex kept true to his promise and left the next day. The dead silence of the pridelands was unnerving, and he almost missed Rafiki's song. He covered the savannah as quickly as he could, reaching the site of his last stand by around midday. He recovered his belongings which were right where he had left them. The hyenas must not have cared too much for knives and camping gear. After a short break on the edge of the Pridelands, Alex descended the pathway to the seemingly endless desert. He took off, following what he believed to be the remains of Nala's trail.

The desert heat soon took its toll on the teenager. He moved as quickly as he could, but was hindered by his injuries. The place was insanely desolate; there was no sign of any life whatsoever. However, it still seemed better than the Pridelands. At least here there were no charred skeletons, dried riverbeds, or dead trees. It was just sand. Lots and lots of sand. Night fell and Alex decided to keep moving. He was exhausted and needed sleep, but it was far easier to move in the cold darkness as opposed to the scorching sun. The moon lit his way and he followed the deteriorating paw prints across the dunes.

The sun rose to Alex's rear, painting the white sand a deep orange. As the morning progressed, the sun whitened and the heat set in again. He had covered a lot of ground, and hoped he was almost done. His legs ached from constant exertion and his back was sore from carrying his pack. The wounded arm was still bothering him as well, though it was healing at a remarkable rate thanks to Rafiki's salves. When the sun had reached the highest point in the sky, Alex noticed a dark patch on the horizon. As he advanced, he realized that it was the jungle. Relief swept his body and he quickened his pace.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex plunged his head into the calm pool of shaded water. It was immensely refreshing and he rolled onto his back to rest. The tall trees completely blotted out the hated ball of fire and Alex closed his eyes. Now all he had to do was find Nala. It was one lioness in an entire jungle, how hard could it be? He though sarcastically. His stress melted away as he drifted off to sleep.

He awoke later that evening, the sun was starting to sink low and the air was cooling. A sharp pang of hunger reminded him that he hadn't eaten in a while. Alex grabbed his spear and bag and headed into the jungle.

As he moved, he slipped the sling off his arm. He left the bandages on, but the wound was healed enough to move it around without too much pain. The human moved through the trees as quietly as he could, but it proved to be more difficult than the savannah. There were many more sticks to step on and many more obstacles that got in his way. As he walked, he picked various plants he knew to be edible.

Voices reached Alex's ears and he stopped. They seemed to be coming from his left, so he headed in that direction. He passed a clearing in the trees and was exposed to a stunning view of the jungle. The blue-green mountains protected the lush valley, and sparkling rivers flowed from the high peaks to the thick foliage on the lowest levels. Alex had to tear himself away from the hypnotic scene to return his attention to his potential meal. He advanced on the voices and paused to listen.

A muffled, yet clearly masculine voice came from not too far away. "Sometimes bad things happen, and there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry?"

"_Because it's your responsibility_!" Alex froze. That sounded a lot like Nala, but the woods had a way of changing noises. Maybe he was just being too hopeful. He crept closer to hear better, but still stayed hidden in case it wasn't his friend.

He heard the deeper voice again. "You don't even know what I've been through!"

"_No, I don't! And you don't know what I've been through!"_ It was definitely Nala. Alex took off toward the voice.

"My brother _died_ to get me here to find help, and now you won't even _consider_ coming home? Nala was clearly aggravated and Alex kept moving. Both voices were quiet, and Alex saw an opening in the brush. He rushed through the gap and found himself in a clearing. He saw Nala and large, red-maned lion. Nala stared at him in disbelief and the unnamed lion growled dangerously. Alex dropped his bag, just before he was knocked to the ground by the grown lioness.

"Alex!" Nala cried as she purred and nuzzled the human's shoulder. Alex hugged her back, thankful that she was alright. After a moment, Alex looked back at the mystified lion who had not moved from his original position.

"Uuuuhh..." he began.

Nala backed up to expand her view to both Alex and the lion. "This is my brother, Alex! I mean, not my real brother, but you know..." she said to the lion before turning back to her resurrected friend. "I thought you were dead!"

Alex nodded, a ridiculous grin plastered on his face. "So did I, but Rafiki managed to get me out of it." Alex glanced at the red-maned lion. "Care to introduce me?"

Nala blinked, then looked back and forth between her two friends. "Alex, this is Simba." she said in a quiet voice. "He's alive."

Alex looked at the supposed Simba, his grin now faded. The lion did have a striking resemblance to Mufasa. "How?" he asked, not sure if he believed the lioness.

"Does it matter? He's alive!" Nala declared.

Simba took a step forward. "I think I remember you. You were that human that my dad let in."

Alex nodded and smiled. "I don't believe it." He muttered. "You're here. _You're the king."_

Simba's expression dropped like a stone and glared at the two. "_For the last time, I'm not the king! _ With that, he stormed off out of the jungle and disappeared from sight.

Alex turned to Nala. "What was that all about?"

Nala shook her head and sighed as she walked across a log. "He doesn't want to come home." She said somberly. "He doesn't care."

"That doesn't make any sense." replied the human. "Why'd he say that?"

"He said I wouldn't understand." Nala laid down under a big tree and sighed deeply. "It's really good to see you though."

Alex stayed standing. "It's good to see Simba! You must be thrilled."

Nala smiled. Even if he is being a jerk right now, I'm still happy he's here." She raised her head to look Alex in the eye. "I think I love him…"

Alex blinked. _Loved_ him? Well that was kind of sudden, he thought. He laughed to himself, remembering Mufasa's words. "You are betrothed after all." he told her.

Nala didn't seem to hear him. " …But I always thought that if Simba had been there, things would have been different." A small tear slid down Nala's cheek as she rested her head on her paws. "But he doesn't even _care_… I don't know if he can help us."

"I'm gonna go try and talk to him." said Alex. Nala nodded silently and watched him leave the way Simba had gone.

****Author's Note*****

**I have to say, I was very tempted to end the story with the previous chapter. I really like how it all went and it seemed like a good place to stop. But naturally, I can't just end it like that, so I will continue on.**

**My initial belief that summer means more free time was apparently a bit misplaced. Things are pretty busy now, and I'm leaving for Boy's State on Sunday for almost a week. My goal is to completely finish the entire story before then, so watch for updates.**

**Again and as always, comment and review. All you people who are reading but not commenting, I want to hear your thoughts.**


	9. Chapter 9: Descisions

*****Chapter 9*****

*****Descisions*****

_In this farwell  
There's no blood  
There's no alibi  
Cause I've drawn regret  
From the truth  
of a thousand lies_

_So let mercy come  
and wash away  
What I've done.  
I'll face myself  
to cross out what I've become.  
Erase myself  
and let go of what I've done._

_-What I've Done by Linkin Park_

Alex followed Simba's path through the jungles and exited the jungle's dark canopy into a vast grassland. The stars hung in the sky like holes in the floor of heaven and distant mountains led the way to the small desert. A river wove its way through the lowlands and had begun to create mist. Alex scanned the fields and quickly located the Red-maned lion that was staring up at the stars. Alex approached Simba silently, not wanting to disturb him. The lion hung his head, clearly in turmoil.

He looked to the sky and yelled. "You said you'd always be there for me!" The sudden outburst startled Alex who was no more than twenty feet away. "But you're not…. And it's because of me… It's my fault…" Simba bowed his head to the ground and a single tear fell to the ground.

Alex cleared his throat, causing Simba to turn sharply. "Hey." said the human calmly.

Simba shook his head and turned away.

Alex stared up at the sky. "You know, the last time I saw you, you only came up to my knee."

Simba didn't smile. "It's been a while." He muttered.

Alex could tell that the lion didn't want to talk, but this was a bit bigger than the two of them. "I'm sure that Nala told you, but the Pridelands need you."

Simba growled and walked off. "I _can't_ go back!"

Alex caught up to and walked alongside him. "What happened, Simba?" he asked quietly. "Why won't you come back?"

"It's complicated… and you wouldn't understand." He responded coldly. "The bottom line is that Scar is the king and that you should get used to it."

Alex almost laughed aloud. "You really don't understand do you? This isn't a matter of preference, its survival plain and simple!"

"You don't need me."

"Yes we do! Simba, Scar is a terrible king. If he stays in power everyone will starve to death or worse!"

"Really?" said simba, unimpressed. "And what would be worse than that?"

"They might just get eaten by the hyenas."

That stopped Simba in his tracks. Maybe Alex was finally getting through to him. The lion shook his head and sat down next to a calm stream. He stared at his reflection, hypnotized by the water's gentle current. "I can't go back." He said in almost a whisper.

Alex watched Simba lay there. Something was stopping him from returning, but what was it? Simba's ears flattened to the side of his head and he looked off to a nearby tree.

"What is that?" the lion asked no one in paticular.

Alex strained his ears and heard a faint song from across the grass. "Oh no…" he muttered, recognizing the incessant tune.

"_Asante sana Squash banana,  
Wiwi nugu Mi mi apana!"_

Rafiki leapt down from the tree and disappeared into the grass at its base, only to emerge on the other side of Simba. The mandrill was laughing hysterically, and Simba was getting irritated.

"Come on! Stop that." He told the primate.

Alex shook his head. Rafiki was the last person Simba needed to talk to right now. The crazy monkey would lead him to suicide rather than Priderock. Rafiki bounded around the lion, singing his song.

"Who are you?" demanded Simba.

"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Who are _you_?" countered Rafiki.

Simba sighed and lowered his head. "I thought I knew, but I'm not so sure anymore…"

Rafiki laughed madly. "You tink you know, he tought he knew, she tought she knew, you tought you knew, but Rafiki knows!

Simba looked at Alex, who had placed his head in his hands out of despair. After a moment he looked back at the mandril. "Fine, I'll bite. "_Who am I_?" he asked sarcastically.

"No one special," replied Rafiki, casually walking away. "Just de son of Rafiki's good friend."

Simba's head snapped to the crazy monkey. "_What_?"

Alex looked up. Had Rafiki actually reached something in Simba?

"Dat's right! You're Mufasa's boy!" Rafiki stared at Simba for a moment before elaborating. "Bye!" The primate took off through the grass.

Simba turned to Alex, complete confusion on his face. "WHO WAS THAT?"

"That was Rafiki, our shaman. And yea… he recognized you from your dad."

Simba turned and chased after the fleeing primate while Alex stood dumbfounded. Once he realized that he was alone, he took off after the two. He jumped across the stream, and climbed the hill where Rafiki sat. Simba was aready there.

Simba was speaking softly. "I hate to tell you this, but my dad died… A long time ago…"

"Nope! You're wrong again!" declared the shaman. "He's alive, and I'll _show_ him to you!" With that, he took off into the woods and Simba leapt in after him.

Alex groaned, he had just caught up with them and now they had run off again. He pursued the animals through the foliage. Roots hindered his way and vines caught on his limbs. He could hear rafiki yelling commands to Simba not too far ahead, so he kept going. Alex emerged on the edge of a calm pool of water where the stream emptied into. Simba was descending to the water's edge and Rafiki held the reeds to the side for him to pass. Alex didn't know what to think. It was impossible that Mufasa was alive, yet it was also impossible that Simba was alive. Maybe Rafiki knew something that they didn't. He walked closer to the pool.

"That's not my father." said Simba in a disapointed tone. "That's just my reflection."

Rafiki smiled and spoke softly, almost soothingly. "No… he is dere. Look harder."

Alex looked at the reflection that Simba had returned his attention to. The water slightly blurred the lion's face, but still radiated is main features. Simba already looked a lot like Mufasa to begin with, but the slightly blurred image in the water seemed to be identical to the former king. Simba must have seen the same thing, because he gasped and took a step back.

"You see… he lives in you…." explained the wind suddenly picked up, a sharp contrast to the complete tranquillity that had been prevelent only a moment before. Alex and Simba looked up at the sky to see a massive storm front advancing. The clouds moved faster than Alex had ever seen. Something strange was going on and they both knew it. The clouds parted and the shadowy figure of a massive lion emerged.

"Simba…" boomed the distictly familiar voice.

"Father?" answered Simba in complete disbelief.

Alex was afraid he might collapse at the awesome sight, so he took a knee beside Simba. "My god." He uttered in a whisper.

The clouds swirled around the mane of the great king and a light illuminated his 'body'. "Simba, you have forgotten me."

"No! How could I?"

"You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me… Look inside yourself, you are _more_ than what you have become. You _must_ take your place in the circle of life."

Simba shook his head. "I can't go back! I'm not who I used to be!"

"Everyone changes, but you are still my son, and the one true king!" The voice rumbled across the grassland, scaring up flocks of birds. "Relieve yourself of your guilt and return to the Pridelands with Nala and Alex. They care for you, and will help you on your journey." The clouds began to retreat to the direction from which they came.

Simba stared at the heavens. "Father…"

"Remember who you are… Remember."

Simba suddenly realized that his father was leaving, so he raced across the grass in an attempt to catch up with the dissipating king. "No! Don't leave me!" he cried, but Mufasa was gone. The tranquility of the night had returned and all was silent. Simba bowed his head and Alex walked up next to him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Well dat was fun!" yelled Rafiki, successfully breaking the silence. "Vedy strange weather, don't ya tink?"

Simba and Alex sighed in unison. "Yea, it looks like the winds are changing." replied a slightly disconnected Simba.

Alex nodded. "Change is good."

Simba snorted, it almost seemed like a laugh. "But it won't be easy." The lion kept his eyes glued to the sky, as if hoping to catch another glimpse of his father. "If I go back, I'll have to face Scar… among other things."

"De past can be a pain," remarked Rafiki, "But you can either _run_ from it, or _learn_ from it. Which will it be?"

Alex smiled. "Personally, I like the second option." He told Simba.

"Yea… me too." Simba looked at his surroundings with new eyes, his epiphany had done its job well.

"HAhahaha GO!" yelled Rafiki. "Go on you both! Get out of here! HAhahaha!"

Simba smiled and looked at Alex. "Let's go get Nala, Timon and Pumba."

"Nala and who?" asked Alex.

Simba blinked. "Oh yea, you haven't met them. You will, come on!" With that he raced off back toward the jungle in a state of euphoria.

Alex laughed and turned to Rafiki. "Thank you." he said. Rafiki nodded a goodbye to the human and Alex took off after Simba. As he ran, he thought of the shaman. The primate may be a little crazy, but Edgar Allen Poe said that insanity was merely a heightened state of the body's senses. Rafiki was definitely more conscious of his surroundings than anyone Alex had ever met, and he certainly appeared to be a little off his rocker. Whatever Rafiki was, he wasn't what Alex had believed him to be. He had a ton of wisdom and knowledge that others only dreamt to have.

Alex followed Simba through the jungle. Within a short while they came to Simba's apparent home. A meerkat slept on top of a snoring warthog in a pile of leaves. Not too far away, Nala lay against a fallen tree. The sun was just beginning to rise and the jungle was coming into focus. Birds were awakening and the green hue was becoming more prevalent than the black from the night.

Simba walked slowly over to Nala and nudged her cheek. Her eyes opened and she looked at him with unsure eyes.

"Good morning." He said.

The lioness blinked and stiffly lifted her head to look at her greeter. "What do you want?" She asked neutrally.

"To help." The true king answered. "You and Alex are right. It's time for me to go home."

Nala practically jumped to her feet. She stared at Simba. "Are you serious? Is he serious?" she asked, looking at Alex.

Her human brother smiled and nodded. "It's time."

Nala beamed at the two of them and licked Simba's cheek. Alex was surprised when they started to nuzzle each other, but shrugged it off. Love is love he supposed.

A ruffling behind them made them turn. "Hey… what's goin' on over there?" questioned the meerkat in a sleepy voice.

Simba sighed and pulled away from Nala to walk over to their side. "Guys, there's something I gotta do… And I can't put it off any longer." The lion shook his head. "I have to go."

By then, both Timon and Pumba had risen to a seated position. "You're leaving?" asked the warthog in a heartbroken voice.

"You can't be serious!" cried Timon. "What about Hakuna Matata?"

"Guys, I can't ignore my pride anymore. They need me."

"Fine!" said Pumba in an exasperated tone.

Timon threw his arms up in hoplessness and turned to Pumba. "I told you this would happen!"

The warthog ignored his friend and asked his question. "When do we leave?"

Simba looked taken aback. "What?"

"Timon walked up to the lion and shoved his finger into his face, "Look mister! We raised you, and we're not going to let you regain your place as king without us! We're coming and that's that!"

Nala walked up alongside the astonished Simba and nuzzled him. "We're all going, and Scar doesn't stand a chance!"

Simba beamed at his friends; despite the challenge that lied ahead, they were all with him.

"Hey," Timon gestured to Alex. "Who's this guy and when did he get here?"

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

After they had all been properly introduced, they left the jungle and made their way across the desert. Alex struggled to keep up with the four legged animals, but he never fell too far behind. The sand was just as hot as it had been on the trip to the jungle, but the atmosphere was different. Alex was not burdened with worry or concern for Nala and the Pride, but only anticipation for the coming battle. It would surely be a battle and the five of them discussed it in great detail. Scar would never willingly surrender his throne, and the hyenas would surely have to be forced out of the lands. Nala and Simba were optimistic, but Alex was unsure of the whole thing. Yes, the lionesses would definitely help with the overthrow, but there were so many hyenas. Even if each lioness could take on three singlehandedly, there would still be many left to fight. Alex kept his doubts to himself; statistics were not something that they could alter.

The mountains that signaled the beginning of the Pridelands jutted from the desert sand. It took a fair amount of the day to scale the boulders, but once they reached the top they realized the full scale of destruction. Simba looked across the charred lands and broken skeletons with grief. Slowly it turned to anger as he associated the damage with Scar. Even Alex and Nala were shocked with the condition. It was worse than when they had left; now there were no animals at all. Not even rodents. Timon and Pumba were naturally revolted by the entire scene, but they sympathized with the Pridelanders.

"I didn't want to believe you." uttered Simba.

"We'll fix it." said Alex as he put his arm around Nala.

Nala looked at Alex then at Simba before speaking. "Let's go." She started towards the discolored Priderock with a sheer look of determination on her face.

Alex looked up at the sky. Dark storm clouds were making their way over the blackened savannah. He smiled and turned to Simba. "I think your dad's coming with us." Alex gestured to the rapidly advancing clouds.

Simba took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I _know_ he is." His eyes opened and he started after Nala.

*****Author's Note*****

**I'm still here, still writing, and still going at it. Keep your eyes open for the final Chapter(s).**

**Review and Comment!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Return of the True King

*****Chapter 10*****

*****The Return of the True King*****

_See, they return; ah, see the tentative  
__Movements, and the slow feet,  
__The trouble in the pace and the uncertain  
__Wavering!_

_See, they return, one, and by one,  
__With fear, as half-awakened;  
__As if the snow should hesitate  
__And murmur in the wind,"  
__and half turn back;"  
__These were the "Wing'd-with-Awe,"  
__Inviolable._

_-The Return by Ezra Pound_

The returning Pridelanders made their way quickly across the burnt wasteland. Their feet crushed dry, pathetic excuses for plants and each step kicked up a small cloud of dust and ash. Meatless bones lay in disarray; some were part of a larger skeleton, but most just lay around haphazardly, torn apart by hyenas. Simba was certainly aware of the destruction that lay around him, but he never took his gaze off of his destination: Priderock. Dark smoke stains climbed the great stone, altering its color from a healthy tan to a dark bluish-gray.

As the five returnees approached their home, the distinct sounds and smells of the hyenas became apparent. Alex took the lead and crawled to a ledge that overlooked the common area. He looked over the edge as the others caught up with him. Hyenas were everywhere and they needed to get past them.

"I hate hyenas…" Timon groaned. "You got a plan?" he asked Simba.

"Okay." Started Simba, looking at Timon and Pumba. "We need a distraction."

"Oh, no…." Timon groaned again.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex, Nala, and Simba watched as the horde of hyenas advanced on their hula-dancing friends. The beasts took off running after their much desired meal, leaving a clear path to the narrow, hidden paths that covered Priderock.

Nala looked around, wary of any more hyenas. "Alex and I will go get your mom and the other lionesses."

Simba nodded darkly. "I'll find Scar." The lion turned and climbed the path to a higher level of the great stone.

Alex turned to look at Nala. "You ready to cause some trouble?"

Nala smiled. "Let's go get them."

The old friends stayed low to the ground and slunk to the usual place where the lionesses gathered. It was midday, so Alex expected the entire pride to be there and not out hunting. Sure enough, the whole pride was there; excepting of course those loyal to Scar. Alex and Nala watched them for a moment, concealed in the foliage. They took a deep breath and entered into their line of sight.

At first, only a few lionesses took notice, and only looked with confusion. Then it set in that the two before them were the recently departed Alex and Nala.

"Nala?"

"Alex?" the pride moved toward the duo and soon surrounded them.

Kova smiled and approached Alex. "You're back! It's good to see that you're alright." Her joyous expression soon turned sour. "You shouldn't have returned… There's nothing left." she told them forlornly.

"Where's Sarabi?" asked Nala urgently

Kova was clearly confused. "Uh… Scar wanted to see her, she just left."

"Nala, Alex?" Sarafina pushed her way through the crowd to reach her returned daughter. Nala ran to her and the two embraced. However, just as with Kova, the happiness was short-lived. "What are you two doing back here? You shouldn't have come."

Kova nodded in agreement. "That's what I said."

Alex grinned and the Pridelanders looked at him with confusion. "We came back because we found help." He told them.

Nala was now smiling as well. "We found Simba."

The pride looked at them blankly. "…Simba's dead, honey." Sarafina said quietly.

Alex shook his head. "He's not. He survived the stampede and was living in the jungle all this time."

The lioness' stunned expression gave Nala the hint that she should go a little farther. "He didn't know about what happened until we told him; he came back with us."

The pride was silent. Sarafina broke it. "Are you sure it's him?" she asked skeptically.

"Yea. It's Simba," Alex told them. "And right now he needs our help. He's going to challenge Scar right now!"

Suddenly the pride realized the urgency of the situation and sprung to life. They bounded toward the lip of the great stone. Alex jumped to a higher level and ran parallel to the hurrying lionesses to avoid hindering their speed.

They approached Scar's perch and slowed as they came into sight of Sarabi. She stood strong against the countless hyenas and Scar's threats. The lionesses climbed the boulders and Alex walked above them, staying out of sight. Nala could blend in with the other lionesses, but if Scar saw Alex, he would know something was up.

"We must leave Priderock!" declared Sarabi to the imposter king.

Scar was furious. "We're not going anywhere!" he snarled.

"Then you have sentenced us to death!" Sarabi finished her sentence and looked around at the lionesses that had gathered behind her. She was puzzled by their appearance, but returned her focus to Scar.

"SO BE IT!" he yelled. The pride gasped in shock and Scar became suddenly aware of their presence. "What are all of you doing here?" he demanded.

Alex gripped his spear tightly. _Where was Simba_? They couldn't just fight Scar without him!

Sarabi was horrified at Scar's response. "You can't _do_ that!"

Scar returned his gaze to the former queen. "I'm the king; I can do whatever I want!" He walked off towards his perch.

"If you were _half_ the king that Mufasa was…" Scar turned sharply and clubbed Simba's mother across the face, sending her sprawling into the dust. She wasn't moving and Scar was advancing.

Nala leapt in between Scar and his victim. "Enough Scar!" she demanded.

The dark lion was startled by the sudden intrusion, though it soon turned to confusion. "Nala..." he sneered. "I thought you were…"

"_Dead_?" asked Alex, jumping down from his ledge. Simba would just have to catch up with them, Alex supposed.

"Alex… you as well." Scar's eyes were furious, but he did not allow his body to reveal his emotions.

"Maybe next time you should get hyenas that actually finish their kills." Alex told him coldly.

The lionesses muttered amongst themselves, surprised at the new information. They were getting fed up with Scar, and he knew it.

"So what are you going to do now you two?" Scar questioned. "You came back, but with what? What do you hope to accomplish?"

Nala smiled as she looked up across Priderock. Alex looked as well and saw a bright red mane descending to their location. "We're not the only ones that you counted out, Scar." The lioness told him.

Alex smiled at Scar's confusion. "We found a friend."

A deep growl rolled across the stone like thunder as Simba landed on the flat surface. The sight of his unconscious mother infuriated him and he moved aggressively towards Scar.

"Simba?" asked Scar in a quiet voice. "You're alive too?" The brutal lion glared around at the hyenas that had gathered behind him.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart right now!" Simba demanded dangerously.

"Simba, please… you- you don't understand-"

"I understand enough Scar. Step down." The returned king was an intimidating sight and Scar shrunk away from him.

Slowly, he regained his composure as he realized that he was surrounded by the hyenas. His bodyguards. "Oh please Simba, Simba. Must this all end in _violence_? I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member, wouldn't you?"

The tone with which Scar spoke was unsettling. Alex wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I've put that behind me Scar." Simba replied cooly.

"And what about your followers? Have they forgotten as well?"

The pride was silent in puzzlement. Nala was the first to speak. "Simba, what's he talking about."

"Aaaaah." Hissed Scar, now circling the red-maned lion like a shark. "So you _haven't_ told them."

"Told us _what_?" asked Alex. Something was going on, but he had no idea what it could be.

"Go ahead Simba!" roared Scar. "How about you tell everyone who it is that is responsible for Mufasa's death!"

The pride was stunned. No one breathed. SImba took a deep breath and took a step forward. "_I am_."

"What?" asked Nala in a quiet voice.

Sarabi had finally awoke and made her way to her son. "No…. Simba… You couldn't have…"

Simba turned away. "I did." He stated simply.

Scar began to berate him. Blaming him for everything, but Alex was deep in his own thoughts. This explained a lot. This is why Simba wouldn't return, he committed regicide...

Alex was snapped back to attention by the horde of hyenas advancing behind Scar and Simba. The returned king was backing up against the edge of the great rock's lip. Suddenly he slipped. Simba hung onto the stone with the tips of his claws while a strike of lightening ignited the dead brush below him.

"SIMBA! yelled Nala and Alex in unison. They could do nothing but watch as Scar dug his claws into Simba's paws. If they tried to fight through the hyenas, Scar would only throw Simba off that much sooner. Scar lowered his mouth to Simba's ear and whispered something. Simba's eyes grew wide and the lionesses could see the rage in them despite their distance.

Just when it seemed that Simba would fall, the red-maned lion found a foothold and leapt at Scar, pinning him to the ground. "MURDERER! Tell them the truth!"

Scar said something quietly, but Simba applied pressure on the frail creature. "So _they_ can hear you!"

The dark lion glared at Simba. "Fine." He hissed. "_I KILLED MUFASA!"_

The Pride was filled with rage and roared as a single body. Scar killed Mufasa, not a stampede. He was responsible for everything that had happened, and now he stood in the way of their only hope. Alex tightened his grip on his spear and lunged forward against the mass of hyenas with the rest of the pride.

Alex swung at a hyena, sending it sprawling. Nala raked another across the face, making it scream in agony. The huntresses fought the beasts tooth and nail, ignoring the wounds that were accumulating on their bodies. Alex and Nala battled their way to where Simba was struggling against the horde. There were simply too many for him to fight at once, and he needed help. Alex lunged and impaled one of the attackers through the chest, instantly dropping him. He struck another with the butt of his weapon in a single, fluid motion. After fighting a battalion of the mongrels singlehandedly, going against an equal amount with help didn't seem so difficult.

Once the duo had cleared the hyenas off of Simba, it was relatively easy to clear the rest of Priderock's lip. Simba took notice of Scar fleeing up the pathway to the peak, and took off after the lion that killed his father.

The fire was increasing in size. It was creeping its way up the western side of Priderock, though none of the fighting animals took notice. Alex spun his spear in a flury; slicing, stabbing, slashing, and ultimately killing his enemies. Nala was doing equally well, hyenas collapsed as bloody messes at her feet. She was all teeth and claws, a rage of lethality.

Alex pulled his spear out of a now dying hyena and step back to meet the next. A loud growl behind him was cut off by a dull thud. Alex spun to see Rafiki standing over a fallen hyena. The human smiled as the shaman did a backflip and knocked out another of the beasts. Okay, he thought. Rafiki _can_ handle himself in a fight. He returned his attention to the remaining hyenas, but none attacked.

"Ha!" he yelled triumphantly. "Scared?"

The hyenas just smiled.

"_Human_..." a voice hissed behind him. "_Time to die… again_."

Alex turned slowly to see Zira descending the boulders towards him. He quickly looked to the other Pridelanders, but they were preoccupied with a new wave of hyenas. He was on his own.

Alex shifted his feet, dispersing his weight over a wider area. He clenched his bloody spear and held it on guard against the approaching lioness. Zira was bigger, stronger, and more brutal than him, but he hadn't come all this way to be killed by a big cat.

Zira lunged forward and Alex dove to the side, tucking into a roll as he went. He stood quickly and turned in time to see a paw-full of claws reaching for his face. The spear went up, blocking the strike. Alex ducked under another swing and struck out with the point, though he only succeeded in giving the evil lioness a minor scratch on her side.

Zira roared in anger, beginning another barrage of attacks. Alex blocked and ducked through the jungle of strikes, but eventually one caught him. Zira's claws gouged deep grooves across his recently wounded shoulder, causing Alex to yell in pain and fall backwards onto the hard stone. He watched as the queen advanced; the red light from the flames painted her hide orange and their bright images danced across her bloodthirsty eyes.

Nala struck her current Hyena to the ground and sprinted towards Zira. The evil lioness was so consumed with Alex that she did not realize that Nala was approaching until she was almost on top of her. Zira turned to face Nala and took her weight full on. The two lionesses rolled on the ground for several moments before Nala was kicked away by Zira. She fell hard on the stone and didn't get up.

Alex roared to his feet and picked up his spear. Nala was in danger. He tried to give his life for her survival, and he was willing to do it again. He charged Zira and thrust the point at her. The weapon found its mark and the queen snarled angrily at her new wound that opened in her shoulder.

"_Give up human_!" she told him. "_You don't stand a chance_!"

Alex only settled into his fighting stance, waiting for her next attack. Seeing this, Zira smiled wickedly and leapt at her stationary target. Alex brought the middle of his spear up to block her bite, and successfully prevented her from ripping out his throat. Zira stared down at him, her muzzle only inches from Alex's face. Alex pushed with all his might to keep the predator away, but his arms were growing tired. To make matters worse, he could hear cracking noises coming from his spear. It wouldn't hold the weight much longer.

Alex rolled slightly to his side, exposing his belted knife to where he could grab it easily. He knew he had to act fast; he would only get one shot. Alex took a deep breath. The spear splintered just as he dropped his hand to his belt. Time seemed to slow. His fingers closed around the blade's handle as Zira started to fall onto him, jaws agape. The knife slid out of its sheath and was flipped in the human's fingers so that the blade was pointed up. Alex drove the triangular point upwards to meet the massive lioness that was descending onto him. The blade penetrated Zira's ribs with enough force to knock her off of the wounded human.

She rolled on the ground, gasping for air, the knife still embedded into her side. Alex sat up, amazed at his success. He was out of breath as well, but thankfully his exhaustion was not due to a blade in his lung. He turned his attention back to Nala. She was lying where she had fallen, still not moving. He ran to her side.

"Nala!" he called to her. "Wake up! Come on." He shook her and gently slapped her face. The lioness opened her eyes slowly.

"Alex?" she asked cloudily. "Watch out for Zira…"

Alex smiled. "It's okay; I took care of that already. Just stay down." Alex looked around. The hyenas were fleeing from the lionesses and bodies lay everywhere. The fire had reached an enormous volume and was threatening to engulf Priderock. Alex suddenly became aware of its intense heat and potential danger. "On second thought," he told the glassy eyed lioness, "Why don't we get out of here?"

The lioness was unable to stand, so Alex lifted her onto his back. He stumbled toward the main cave with the rest of the Pridelanders. Once inside, they rested. No one knew if Simba had beaten Scar. It was the one thing that needed to be resolved.

Alex laid Nala down on a large stone and called Rafiki over. A large bump was appearing on the side of her head, but the shaman didn't seem too worried.

"Just a little bump is all dat is." He told the human. "Don't worry; she'll be fine in a few moments."

Alex accepted the mandrill's statement, but stayed next to the resting lioness that he was proud to call his sister. He was just beginning to dress the savage gouges on his shoulder when Sarabi and Sarafina approached.

"How is she?" asked Sarafina.

Alex looked up from his wrappings. "Rafiki said she'll be fine."

A sigh of relief was expelled from Nala's mother and she sat down beside the rock. Sarabi looked at the resting lioness for a moment, then at Alex. "Did Simba really return with you?" she asked him.

Alex smiled and leaned back. "Yea, he came back."

"I… I don't understand…" she shook her head.

A commotion from the mouth of the cave caught their attention. A warthog and meerkat entered, out of breath from their exertion.

Alex turned back to Sarabi. "They were the ones that found him and took care of him;" he gestured to the arrivals. "They could probably answer all your questions."

The former queen nodded and walked over to the foreigners. Alex looked back at Nala, whom he realized was now staring at him.

"Oh, sorry." He apologized. "Did I wake you?"

Nala shook her head and smiled as she slowly sat up. "No Alex… the rain did."

Sure enough, rain had begun to fall, slowly extinguishing the inferno and softening the hardened ground of the Pridelands. The cool liquid fell for the first time in over a year; it provided more hope to the revitalized lions. When it was safe to come out, the pride exited the main cave and gathered around the base of the great stone's lip. Alex supported Nala and helped her to her place.

Simba descended the slopes of Priderock, putting everyone's fears to rest. Scar was gone. The hyenas were gone. The drought was gone. And most importantly, the king had returned. Simba found his mother, then Nala. He nuzzled their cheeks before turning to Alex. A tight embrace made Alex smile. Simba turned at the sound of Rafiki's silent call. He approached the shaman and pulled him into a hug as well.

"_It is time."_ Rafiki told him.

Simba climbed the great stone structure and began his steps to the perch of the King. He crossed the holy ground with reverence. This was the place where his father became king, where his grandfather became king. Simba had returned to right the balance that Scar had overthrown, and he succeeded. A gentle roll of thunder made Alex look up into the sky. Simba had been right, Mufasa had always been there, and always would be.

Simba reached the edge of the great stone, the very place that he had been presented to the pridelands. Now he was back, to restore it to its former glory. The new king let loose a deafening roar across the landscape.

The lionesses answered just as passionately with roars of their own. Alex smiled and placed his arm around Nala. The lioness looked up at him with rain dripping off her face. Alex knew that a fair amount of the water around her eyes was tears, so he wiped them away. The human and lioness embraced each other tightly. After all they had been through, they had made it.

*****Author's Note*****

**Well, here we are. It is now 1:15 AM and this is officially the latest I have stayed up working on this story. It took me quite a while to get this chapter the way I wanted it, so I really hope you enjoyed it. Review and comment please! **

**-Ben**


	11. Epilogue

*****Epilogue*****

*****(((0)))***  
**

_Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,  
That saved a wretch like me...  
I once was lost but now am found,  
Was blind, but now, I see._

_T'was Grace that taught  
my heart to fear.  
And Grace, my fears relieved.  
How precious did that Grace appear  
the hour I first believed._

_Through many dangers, toils and snares...  
we have already come.  
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...  
and Grace will lead us home._

_-Amazing Grace_

Light footsteps padded across tan stone**. **The sun had not risen yet, so the sky held a deep purple tone. Alex walked carefully down the path, carefully avoiding new green plants that were emerging from cracks in the floor. He walked silently up to the lip of Priderock, not wanting to disturb any sleeping lionesses. He stopped when he reached the entrance to the main cave, Simba and Nala emerged as if on cue. Nala nuzzled her mate and the trio walked to the edge of the rim overlooking the vast savannah. The rivers flowed again, bringing much needed water to the quickly recovering plants of the Pridelands. Leaves had returned to the trees and the hyenas were gone. Several herds could be seen on the horizon, grazing in the growing fields. Alex smiled and looked down at Nala. Her belly sagged low with the weight of an unborn child.

It had been almost a month since the defeat of Scar's reign, and most everything had returned to normal. Simba was performing his regal duties well with the help of his mother and the new queen. Alex rejoined the hunting parties. Though they needed food, they were careful to preserve the balance. It was easier to do so with the hyenas were gone, but difficulties persisted. The lionesses loyal to Scar had left soon after his demise. Alex had gone the day after to retrieve his knife from Zira's corpse, only to find it lying on the stone floor. The handle had been completely burned off, leaving only the steel blade. The expected body was nowhere to be seen; Alex had anticipated some remains from the fire, but none existed.

Alex and Nala continued their morning routines of practice and exercise, but the lioness opted out more and more as she continued later into her pregnancy. She still went with her human brother, but most of the time was spent just watching. Alex lessened his training as well; there was no threat of hyenas and other work needed to be done.

The sun rose, painting the bluish-purple sky a deep hue of red. The birds awoke and broke the early morning tranquility with their cheerful songs. The majesty of the Pridelands was something that Alex would never forget. The beauty of the sunrise was just as good today as when he had looked upon it over a year before. The young man let his eyes drift slowly to the east; a small pillar of smoke rose from the plains. Humans were in the savannah.

Alex had checked them out carefully the day before, and concluded that they were harmless. Judging from their equipment, they were humanitarian aids just passing through. They weren't hunters or mercenaries, only people trying to help others.

"I wish you didn't have to go…" Nala whispered sadly.

Alex sighed. "Me neither."

Simba stared off into the horizon. "You're sure that they're safe to approach?"

"Yea," Alex nodded, "They won't cause any trouble."

Nala looked up at him. "You're doing the right thing. Your family needs you more than us."

"You are my family too you know." he smiled.

Nala rubbed against his leg and Alex took a knee beside her, placing his arm over her shoulder. "We'll all miss you." She reminded him.

"Hey, I'll be back." The human reminded her. "As soon as I get the whole 'back-from-the-dead' thing sorted out, I'll take the first plane back out here." He patted Nala's enlarged side. "I'll be back before the little one's first hunt."

Simba nodded. "You had better be. I'd hate to try to explain to the kid that her uncle couldn't make it."

"I'll be there."

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

After saying his final goodbyes to the pride, Alex descended the ramp from the great stone. He gave Nala and Simba a final farewell with tears in his eyes. He stood back, looking at the pride, _He would be back._ He had to keep telling himself. _In less than a year_. He pulled his charred knife out of its sheath. He turned to face a nearby tree. In one fluid motion, he stepped and threw the blade into the trunk. It sunk deep into the soft wood and Alex turned back to the pride and smiled.

"I'll be back for my knife." He told them reassuringly. Nala smiled. With nothing more to do, he walked off towards the rising smoke.

Within a few hours he reached the encampment. He watched for a moment before going any further. The crew was packing up, extinguishing their fire and cleaning off the plates from their meal. Alex walked out from the lush foliage towards them. One woman gasped at him.

"Bob!" she called with a British accent.

"Yea, Molly?" answered a lean man whose back was turned.

"There's a kid here!"

Alex found their startled expressions amusing. He had to admit, he didn't look to great. Torn clothing, deep tan skin, and terrible scars along his arms made him look quite unusual. He smiled in an attempt to reassure them. "Hey, I'm Alex." He offered his hand to the woman who looked at him with uncertainty.

The crew greeted Alex kindly, and agreed to take him to the nearest city. Alex learned from them exactly where in Africa they were. He turned out to be right; they were humanitarian workers and they were returning from a remote village from the deep south. Alex offered them some jerky that he had prepared back at Priderock, but they wouldn't have any. It turned out that they were all vegetarians and their meal had been primarily tofu. Alex smiled. It figured. The crew piled into the van and departed shortly.

"So how long have you been here?" asked Bob.

"Over a year, but it wasn't that bad." He told them.

"I would _die_ without human contact for that long." Molly remarked.

"Yea…" Alex stared blankly out the window of the car. "It sucks to be alone…" He gazed at Priderock, now shrinking into the distance. It stood in a sea of green, much like it had been when he first laid eyes upon it. A light tan figure stood atop the great stone's peak alongside a red-maned one. A roar erupted from the place that Alex called home. He smiled and took a deep breath "_Goodbye_…"

*****The End*****

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*****The Final Author's Note*****

**Well that's that. This story is complete and I want you all to know that I had a ton of fun writing this. What's more, I am thrilled that you all loved it. Your support has encouraged me and I'm sure that I will be writing again soon. On that note, I know that many of you are craving a sequel to this, and although I'd like to please you all, I will **_**not**_** be writing a continuation. I have some other ideas that I'm working on, so keep your eyes open for different stories, but do not expect a sequel to "Nala's Brother" any time soon.**

**At this point, I'd like to thank you all for staying with this story until the end. I hope that you all really enjoyed it, and I would also hope that you would share your thoughts on the comments page. Again and as always, review and comment; tell me your ideas.**

**-Ben**


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